Baguette
1 avocado
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil
basil leaves
1/4 cup goat cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
Slice the baguette and toast the bread.
Slice and pit the avocado. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, place in a bowl.
Mash the avocado and mix in the lime juice and chopped basil.
Add the goat cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix together,
Spread the mixture onto the toast.
Add a basil leaf to each piece of toast and top with a half of a sun gold tomato (or cherry tomato).
When I was a little girl, I wanted to grow up to be a rootin’, tootin’ cowgirl just like I saw on TV…Sky King, Roy Rogers, Gunsmoke and so many more. I really have dated myself. My parents indulged my desire, with my dreamy cowgirl outfit and boots. Smokin’ hot, right?
Now, the closest I get to being a cowgirl is 1) taking my once a decade horse ride or 2) making Cowboy Caviar. I feel so rustic, and healthy, when I eat it, aside from the chips that are a ‘must serve’. Ordinary tortilla chips are good but my new favorite, Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Chips, are the best! Even better, they are gluten-free.
COWBOY CAVIAR
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salad oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 firm-ripe avocado
15 ounce can black-eyed peas
11 ounce can corn kernels
2/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 pound Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
salt chopped
fresh cilantro to taste
1 bag tortilla chips (or 2 cups finely shredded cabbage for salad)
In a large bowl, mix vinegar, hot sauce, oil, garlic, and pepper. Peel, pit and cut avocado into 1/2 inch cubes. Add to vinegar mixture and mix gently to coat.
Drain and rinse peas and corn. Add peas, corn, onions, cilantro and tomatoes to avocado, mix gently to coat. Add salt to taste.
Serve pea mixture with chips as an appetizer or add cabbage to make a salad.
Mexican Quiche hit my recipe box via Sunset Magazine circa early 1980s. Over the years, I have made with it with chorizo or more often with a savory sausage. Topped with a fresh slice of yummy avocado and tomato, it presents beautifully.
Recently I served Mexican Quiche at my annual Mother’s Day Coffee. There were a few pieces left over and were equally tasty the next day.
When serving a crowd, I often make the Quiche the night before and have it ready to pop in the oven the next morning. Enjoy!
MEXICAN QUICHE
1 pound chorizo (or savory) sausage
2 medium-size onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons diced green chiles
10 eggs
2 cups half and half or milk
1 can sliced ripe olives, drained (2.5 oz.)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained (8.75 oz.)
3 cups shredded Jack cheese
Avocado and Tomato Slices
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Remove casings (if necessary) from chorizo. Crumble or finely chop meat and place in a wide frying pan; cook, stirring over medium-high heat until browned. Add onions and saute until tender. Drain off excess fat. Stir in salt, pepper, and chilies. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and half-and-half just until blended. Stir in chorizo mixture, olives, corn and cheese. Evenly spread in a greased 10×15″ jelly roll pan.
3. Bake in 375F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes. Garnish with avocado, tomato, and cilantro.
Memories of stuffed peppers in my Mother’s kitchen are sketchy, probably because I wasn’t fond of vegetables as a kid. My taste buds have matured with age, and I love almost all vegetables.
I decided I would experiment with stuffed peppers and loved this recipe, substituting quinoa for the rice. The result was a protein rich, yummy AND healthy dish. When I made this recipe I only had three green peppers on hand, so I made a small meatloaf with the remaining meat mixture. Fabulous! This will also be a new meatloaf recipe to add to my collection.
STUFFED GREEN PEPPERS WITH QUINOA
6 medium green peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can (1 lb. 3 oz.) crushed or diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 pounds lean ground chuck
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Precook quinoa according to package directions.
Slice off tops of green peppers and remove seeds and ribs. Rinse peppers. Chop the edible portion of the tops and set aside. Place peppers in a large pot of boiling salt water and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from water, drain, and cool slightly.
Heat olive oil in medium size skillet; add chopped onion, celery, and pepper and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, beat the egg together with the Worcestershire sauce. Add ground chuck, quinoa, and 1 cup of tomato mixture and mix well.
5. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in greased casserole. Pour remaining tomato mixture over the top.
Every year I plant a vegetable garden with several varieties of tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant, green beans, zucchini, yellow squash, cilantro, basil, rosemary and thyme. 2011 was not my best year in the garden. Tomatoes were late to set but were coming on strong just in time for the first frost. I picked all of the green tomatoes and brought them in the house to ripen. Today is the day that this last memory of summer will create a wonderful fresh tomato salsa to share with neighbors and family this weekend.
Salsa is wonderful with chips but also a great topping for fresh fish, chicken, or even to dress a salad. Or if you’re desperate for salsa, just eat it with a spoon! My husband and I once observed a gentleman in a restaurant simply take the bowl of free salsa, crush in the free chips for his version of Gazpacho and then leave. I’m not a fan of that behavior, but what you do in the privacy of your own home is your business!
Fresh Tomato Salsa
FRESH TOMATO SALSA
4 small (2 cups) tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Cilantro
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon vinegar
8 ounces tomato sauce
Fork Lore 