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Saturday, May 28, 2011

Best of 2011: Warm Avocado Salad

Looking at the ingredients of this dish, it doesn't seem all that different from your standard salsa...that is, until you notice the word "warm" in the title. Cheese dips are usually warm, salsas are not. Ryan and I share a love for avocado so when I pointed out this recipe in The Twelve Best Foods Cookbook and suggested it as our second May recipe for our Best of 2011 challenge, he was all for it!

I don't have much to say about this except that we both really loved it and had no problem finishing off the whole batch! If you want to serve as an appetizer at a party, I suggest doubling...or it's great to eat for dinner with chips and cheese quesadillas, like we did. The entire jalapeño in there gave the salsa a very spicy kick, which we appreciated, especially in contrast to the creamy avocado. If you want to tone it down, use only half the jalapeño.

If you think cold salsa is the only way, you've got to try this version and see for yourself!

Tomatoes were the star ingredients, from The Twelve Best Foods. The book had the following to say about them:
Tomatoes...
-Source of Vitamins A&C, Potassium, and Lycopene
-An antioxidant carotenoid that helps protect against prostate cancer, heart disease, and possibly age-related macular degeneration
-Eat tomatoes with some fat to help absorb the lycopene


One Year Ago: Baked Pear and Gorgonzola Salad


Warm Avocado Salad
from The Twelve Best Foods Cookbook


Ingredients:
-4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
-2 scallions, chopped (white and green parts)
-1 small red onion, chopped
-1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
-1 ripe avocado, diced
-juice from 1 lime
-1/2 tsp salt
-3 grinds freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:
1. In a medium skillet coated with cooking spray, saute tomatoes over medium-high heat until they soften (2-3 minutes). Add scallions, onion, and jalapeno, stirring to combine.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the avocado, lime juice, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Gently mix until the avocado is just warm. Stir in the cilantro.
3. Pour salsa into a bowl and serve immediately with tortilla chips.