Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

While doing my March detox, I stumbled on this salad when I had avocado and grapefruit to consume before traveling one week.  It was one of the most addicting combos I have ever tasted!   Why?  I have no idea, but you should try it even if you don’t like grapefruit.  It’s like when their flavors get together it creates something different than I have ever experienced!  I should also add that it’s super easy, too.
Avocado and Grapefruit Salad
Ingredients:
Avocado
Grapefruit
Lemon
EVOO
Salt and pepper
Protein addition optional
Directions:
Section grapefruit and slice avocado.  Place them together.  Mix juice from a lemon, a splash of EVOO, a pinch of salt and pepper.  Pour over the salad.  Add cooked shrimp or other protein if desired.

Kale, Peach, and Avocado Salad

This recipe was born out of the necessity to use massive amounts of kale, basil, and parsley in addition to having peaches that needed to be used before they went bad.  I used my Brussel sprouts and avocado salad as a foundation and switched things around as I needed to based on what I had available! Instead of straight sesame seeds, I also opted to use seaweed Gomasio, which is a combo of sesame seeds, seaweed, and salt.  This is an awesome opportunity for those trying to support their thyroid function to use food as medicine! Kale is a hearty green, so leftovers hold up nicely in the fridge if you don’t eat it all in one sitting.
Kale, Peach, Avocado Salad
Ingredients:
5 cups of kale, chopped
2-3 avocados, diced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped basil
2 peaches, diced
1 Tbsp seaweed Gomasio (or sub just sesame seeds)
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients and enjoy!  Feel free to mix and match ingredients based on what you have, what was on sale that week, or what is in season!

Bell Pepper Boats

Are you getting tired of recipes that aren’t recipes?  I hope not, because I post this stuff for you guys!  I’ve shared this idea tons of times, but I figured it’s helpful to have it on the list of snacks (or quick meal ideas).  Nature has created perfect portable options for us that are free of plastic, free of lids, free of hassle.  Sometimes people don’t have time to cook, and throwing fresh ingredients together can be a great option to get clean food in your belly without much hassle.  Feel free to stuff your boats with whatever you have on hand: tuna salad, leftovers, ceviche, store-bought guac, scrambled eggs, etc.
Bell Pepper Boats
Ingredients:
1 bell pepper, halved lengthwise and core removed
1 avocado
salt and pepper
cilantro
optional: lime, tomato
Directions:
One the bell pepper has been halved, fill it with half the avocado and mash it up a bit in each boat.  Top with salt and pepper.  Enjoy like this or add cilantro, fresh lime juice, tomato, tuna….whatever floats your boat!

Shrimp, Pepper, Pineapple Skewers w/Grilled Avocado

You are getting tired of me saying this….but another recipe that’s NOT a recipe!  This is seriously what just pops in my mind when I look in the fridge and see ingredients.  Shrimp is an awesome protein to have in the freezer because it thaws and cooks quickly.  It is also an amazing source of nutrients and variation in your protein sources is a good practice to have.  Pineapple is also something I only really go for in the summer because my cravings are often fruit related when it’s super hot out.  Pineapple has tons of enzymes present in it that aid in the digestive process and bromelain which aids in healing tissues and meat digestion.  I happened to have cilantro pesto in my fridge because cilantro was growing like crazy, and I often make pesto to preserve herbs. Grilled avocado is a food I never experienced before until my gym had a party and the son of one of the couples was cooking for us.  Culinary arts are his passion and profession, and grilled avocado and grilled romaine were quickly added to my vegetable ideas!
Shrimp skewers
Ingredients:
shrimp, wild caught, peeled and deveined
bell pepper, cut into chunks
pineapple, cut into chunks
cilantro pesto
salt and pepper
juice from half a lemon
red pepper flakes
avocado, halved and seed removed
Directions:
Place the shrimp in a bowl mixed with cilantro pesto, lemon juice, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and let marinade while you getting your pineapple, peppers, and grill ready. Heat the grill or grill pan to medium high heat.  Place your ingredients on the skewers however you like them.  (remember that if you are grilling with wooden skewers that you will need to soak them in water for 30 minutes prior so they don’t burn).  Place your made skewers on the grill along with an avocado that you cut in half (place cut side down). Grill for 3 minutes on one side and flip, cooking for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the grill and enjoy!

Kale, Strawberry, Avocado Salad w/Chia Citrus Dressing

Once again, a recipe that isn’t really a recipe!  However, kale is super easy to grow and strawberry season is around the corner.  If this salad convinces you to grow some kale or eat some organic berries, then my job here is done.  Since I am a crazy person in the kitchen, I don’t measure anything.  You shouldn’t either.  You know what you like, give yourself enough to have multiple elements in every bite and a little extra of the things you enjoy the most. That wasn’t technical, but it works everytime. Kale (or any winter green) is bitter, so you need some sweetness and some acid to balance it out.  The strawberries could be switched for whatever fruit you have on hand.  The lemon in the dressing could be switched for your favorite vinegar.
Kale, Strawberry, Avocado Salad w/Chia Citrus Dressing
Ingredients:
kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
organic strawberries, hulled, halved
avocado, diced
a couple glugs of EVOO
juice of half a lemon
zest of a lemon
pinch of salt and pepper
dollop of honey
1/4 tsp chia seeds
Directions:
Chop all the salad ingredients into bite size pieces and toss together.  Whisk all the dressing ingredients together and pour over salad.  Kale is hearty, so even a dressed salad can store nicely in the fridge.

Chicken, Avocado, Black Bean, Mango Salad

I recently got black beans in my CSA box.  I don’t typically eat beans but I don’t oppose them if they are prepared correctly, which means soaked in an acidic environment for 24 hours and then cooked for 4 more).  I’m usually too lazy to do that, but when life hands you beans, you take the time to soak them.  I actually love black bean hummus, black bean burgers, etc, but this idea of Mexican chicken salad kept creeping into my mind.  I originally wanted to do this with shrimp but forgot to thaw them….so….chicken it is!  Use your imagination switching out ingredients and just use what you have on hand! I hadn’t thought about it prior but this would probably be amazing with a red onion, too!
Chicken, Avocado, Black bean, Mango Salad
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast, cooked and chopped into bite size chunks
1 mango, peeled, cored, and diced
1 avocado, diced
handful of cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup black beans (soaked and cooked)
1 red pepper, diced
Dressing Ingredients:
1/3 cup nut butter (I used cashew, but you could use almond)
zest from 1 lemon
juice from 2 lemons
2 Tbsp honey
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp brown mustard seed (optional)
Directions:
If you are starting from scratch, you will need to cook the chicken and beans.  However, if you have cooked chicken and beans, add all the ingredients to a bowl.  Then whisk together all of the dressing ingredients.  Pour over the  salad and toss to coat..  Eat like you’ve never eaten before!

Tomato, Avocado, Cucumber Salad

Right now my cherry tomato plants are going a little too crazy! I planted three different kinds in addition to a roma tomato plant, so I could have homemade tomato sauce frozen throughout the winter. I had no idea my plants would get so big! I am getting a shirt-full of cherry tomatoes every single day. I haven’t made any sauce yet, but this salad was a great opportunity to use some up along with cucumber that I know everyone has growing like crazy, too. I used basil as the herb because I have tons of that in my garden and from the CSA, but you could easily use cilantro, parsley, dill, etc. This salad is fresh, slightly creamy from the avocado, and perfect for a summer side dish! It stays nicely in the fridge for a couple days but will have some browning of the avocado and basil, so if you are making it for an occasion, make this dish the day of.

Tomato, Avocado, Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 cucumber, cut into bite size chunks
  •  2 avocados, diced
  •  2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
  •  1 sweet onion (I used one like a giant green onion but you could use a quarter red onion)
  •  juice from one lemon
  •  Olive oil drizzled over the top
  •  salt and pepper to taste
  •  Basil cut into thin strips and garnished on top

Directions:

Add all the chopped veggies into a serving bowl, add the lemon and olive oil and toss to coat. Just before serving, add salt, pepper, and basil.