Zesty Cook » avocado

Chicken Club and Avocado

zesty — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:30:52 +0000

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was enjoyable.

Ever get tired of the same ole run of the mill sandwiches? I have an idea for you to try. A different type of spread than your typical mayo or mustard.

Try this as your next sandwich spread: Avocado, cilantro, lime juice, hint of salt and pepper and a spoon full of salsa – DELISH!

It is a simple spin on guacamole for the base of your sandwich. The results speak for themselves. For me, the sandwich quality is usually driven by the bread then followed by the toppings. If you try this sandwich – you will be impressed with the flavor combination and treat the bread as a vehicle.

Ingredients

Cooked chicken breast, sliced,
2 pieces of bacon, cooked
Handful of spinach
Pepper
Avocado spread – see above
2 Slices of bread toasted

Method

Begin by making the spread, combine 1 avocado and handful of cilantro, squirt of lime juice, and spoonful of salsa
Toast your bread
Smear some of the avocado mixture
Top with chicken, bacon and spinach
Set the other slice of bread on top .
Slice it up.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Use this avocado spread in many variations. This would work very well as a base for baked nachos or even on a white fish. Be creative and keep your taste buds guessing.

Alright, the first of the week is back again. I hope you have a great start to your week. I will be back on Wednesday.

Question: What is your favorite sandwich?

Take care

zesty

Get Your Greens {On}

zesty — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:59:07 +0000

It’s Friday already and a long weekend to boot! Whoo Hooo. I had great visions of sharing some Zoo pictures with you today however I forgot to bring the camera cable with me so not I have no way of transferring the pictures. Sorry about that… but next week I will for sure.

So with all the traveling and not so healthy eating at times…. I am writing a post for the salad lovers out there. It is time to get your greens on! I remember in NYC and Toronto, where I would go a full day of not eating anything green… shhh don’t tell anyone. Remember you have to live life and take things in moderation. With that said, I am back on the green wagon and going to share with you a simple salad that really tastes great.

Ingredients

2 Cups baby spinach
1/4 Cup pine nuts, toasted
1 Avocado, peeled and sliced
Lemon juice
Sesame seeds, roasted
Flax seeds, roasted
Olive oil
Sliced prosciutto

Method

Preheat a dry pan and roast the seeds and nuts until golden brown.
Prepare the salad base of spinach, prosciutto and avocado.
Add the roasted seeds and nuts.
Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: After you peel your avocado sprinkle it with a hint of lemon juice to avoid it browning on the outside before you eat it. If it does go brown, don’t throw it out – it is still GOOD.

Oh and I got my black plate back from Mom’s. It has been there for over a year. I usually like shooting with white plates but for some reason black looks good sometimes too. I hope you give this salad a try and let me know what you think. Have a great long weekend and I will be talking to you bright and early on Labor Day morning.

Take care

zesty

Avocado to the Rescue!

zesty — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:00:04 +0000

I dropped the ball on Monday and forgot to schedule my post for 8 am as always so it sat in draft mode until I realized around 2:00 that it was not live. Oh dear – what a doofus. So with that being said your Google readers did not get updated with the Juicer Recipes post until yesterday because I have my feed burner set to update at 12:00pm. My bad and I am sorry. However, on the positive side of things – it is looking like I am posting two days in a row.

Not the case but wait until you see this beauty! A simple avocado and egg salad with a splash of balsamic vinaigrette – simply delicious. The health kick is pushing forward day after day and I am actually loving it. Now don’t get me wrong, I still eat a little treat here and there but very much in moderation. Mrs. Zesty and I are teaming up and by doing it together it is quite fun and motivating. Not that I was a terrible eater before i would sometimes over indulge in some unnecessary snacks at random times of the day.

Without further a do – feast your eyes on this salad. Totally random but lovely just the same. Do you think it is weird that a guy uses the word “lovely” a lot? Oh boy, i am getting off topic a lot today…. my apologies.

Ingredients

Spring Greens
Avocado
Hard boiled egg
Sliced almonds
Blackberries
Grape tomatoes
Balsamic Vinegar

Method

Wash and prep greens, berries and tomatoes
Peel and chop hard boiled egg
Peel and chop the avocado
Add all ingredients together in a bowl
Toss and dress with a drizzle of balsamic.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Peel your avocado just before you are ready to eat the salad and give it a little squirt with some fresh lemon juice to keep it from going brown so quickly.

A great salad for a lunch or even a light dinner.

This salad is very versatile and of course you can add whatever you want. Cold chicken would be a great alternative if you like that or you could even add some garbanzo beans for some extra flavor.

My whole take on salad is add what you like to eat and be simple with the dressing. The one thing that I do not like about salad is when the dressing is too heavy and the greens become soggy and limp. Keep it fresh and crunchy. Have an amazing Wednesday and keep your chin up.

Take care

zesty

A Whole Lotta Avocado and Orange Salad!

zesty — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:00:06 +0000

Good day to you! I am back with another exciting post to keep you on your toes and wanting to almost lick the screen with excitement. Well that might be slightly over the edge but I was trying to be somewhat funny. I know… I know I am not that great at being funny – well at least portraying myself as funny over the internet. In real life I am hilarious – ask anyone if you don’t believe me!

Ok enough of me being a dork and onto a serious note. I have a kick bum salad to share with you today. It was part of the superb Bistro night at the NYE Gala. When you read the ingredients you will be saying to yourself… wow these ingredients are very simple and you are right. Simple and easy wins the race. I am telling you – great food made simple is definitely the way to go. I have had a hard time grasping that in the early part of my life when I always thought great food had to be fancy, but it really doesn’t have to be that way.

Just take a look below and see the specs to make this beauty.

Ingredients

Mixed greens for 8 people, store mix or make own as desired.
3 Large oranges
2 Avocados
1 Tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp ground black pepper
2 Tsp. honey
2 Medium shallots, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Method

Segment the oranges and collect juice from the procedure, set aside segments and the juice.
Should have about 3/4 cup of juice and add to this with another orange if needed.
Combine 1/2 cup of the orange juice with ginger, and mustard. Salt and pepper to taste.
In a second bowl mix 1/2 the shallots with the remaining orange juice and whisk in the olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
When ready to serve, open and dice the avocados and mix with honey ginger dressing, add the remaining shallots, cilantro and mint.
Add this mixture to the greens and gently mix.
Top with remaining dressing at the table if needed.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Did you know, Avocados contribute nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and beneficial plant compounds that add to the nutrient quality of your diet.

Around the Blogsphere

So I finally had some time yesterday to check out the blogstalker again. Nate was missing in action for a while but I did miss a few oh his hilarious posts. Nate is a fantastic writer and will definitely make you laugh as he talks about food blogs all over the net. He has mentioned zesty a couple of times and seems to enjoy my hair style. If you have not yet checked him out… you must today over at the blogstalker.
I am pretty excited to do a guest post this coming Sunday at Picky Palate. In the same breath, I am kind of nervous and wondering what I should feature as the post. I am sure I will come up with something.
I have completed the Campbell’s Video Shoot for GoodBite.com. I am reathrilled about the outcome. It launched on January 26th so I will be sure to keep you posted and get you ready for the big splash in a couple of weeks.
OPEN SKY Discount NEWS….. Open Sky launched a new look yesterday and it is looking super hot. You can check out my new store front and in addition to the sexy new look you can enter a coupon code “REDESIGN” and receive a 10% Coupon. This discount will run until the end of January so spread the word and buy whatever you see fit. If you are looking for certain products and do not see them in my store – let me know and I will work on getting them in my store and trying them out.

Seven Minute Pork Sandwich

zesty — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:00:02 +0000

Happy Tuesday! I know this post is just a sandwich but it’s an interesting and tasty sandwich that I threw together over the weekend. Pork chops were on sale at the super market so I decided to pick them up. I was craving avocado and hummus as well. That is when I clued in – lets create a new sandwich! I simply pan fried the pork chops with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Let them cook through but allowed them to remain juicy. After that just add your hummus and sliced avocado and it is complete.

This is super simple with a nice balance of flavors and texture.

Ingredients

Sliced Pork Chop (cut on the bias)
Sliced Avocado (drizzled with lemon)
Hummus
Bread or Rolls (Toasted)

Method

Cook the pork chops (to your liking).
Preheat oven or toaster oven.
Place rolls or bread inside and toast.
Slice avocado and top with lemon juice.
Once bread is toasted, add liberal amount of hummus.
Top with sliced cooked pork.
Add Avocado on top.
Close the sandwich.
ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you have left over bread that is a few days old. The best way to make it stretch is to toast it. It will still test fresh when toasted. Another option is to cube up the old bread, toast it in the oven and add it in the food processor for homemade bread crumbs.

I would love to know what you think about this sandwich combination. For my vegan readers out there…. omit the pork and add a roasted portabella mushroom.

Hope you have a great Tuesday and I look forward to hearing from you.

Take care

zesty