Exquisite Grilled Avocado Salad

It seems after a few martinis and some great conversation, some of the best recipes are concocted out of my kitchen.  My mom is visiting from Alabama and we celebrated our visit with some Chickalina Martini's (click here for recipe) and marinated some extra thick, perfectly marbled rib-eye steaks for the grill last night.

Since my mom is obsessed with avocados, I wanted to do something special for a salad and let me tell you what!  This was the best salad I have ever made (besides my smoked tomato dressing and banana salsa salad - Which I'll share in my book!) We were going nuts over this salad.  The toasted sesame seeds are the finishing touch that gives this salad it's brilliant finish.  Something about the way the
acid in the dressing, coupled with the ripe tomatoes and fresh herbs are blended with those sesame seeds.  It's brilliant if I say so myself.

This salad is beautiful and perfect for a any luncheon or before a nice meal.

 

Exquisite Grilled Avocado Salad

Serves 2

1                           Whole Avocado, Perfectly Ripe

4 oz                     Mixed Greens (2oz per person)

10                        Tom Mini Tomatoes, Quartered

3 Tbsp                 Avocado or Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp                 Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tbsp                 Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tbsp                 Shallot, Finely Diced

2                           Fresh Basil Leaves, Chiffonade

1 Tbsp                 Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, Chopped

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Cracked Black Pepper

Black Sesame Seeds, Toasted

Preparations Steps:

Prepare grill to medium high heat.

Toast Black Sesame Seeds in a hot skillet for a few minutes until they become fragrant, moving around to keep from scorching.  Set aside on a plate to cool.

Slice Tom Tomatoes in quarters and place in a medium size bowl.

Dice shallots; chop Italian Parsley and Chiffonade the Basil.  Add to tomatoes.

Add Avocado Oil, Rice Wine and Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar.  Toss together and season with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.  Set aside.

Slice Avocados in half and remove the seed.  Brush will Avocado Oil and season with Salt & Pepper.

Place Avocados on grill flesh side down and grill for 2 minutes.  Lift Avocados and check grill for apparent grill marks.  Once grill marks are formed and the flesh has turned a slight yellowish brown, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Strain tomatoes from the vinaigrette and toss with the mixed greens. 

To Plate:

·       Place mixed Greens on plate first.

·       Remove Avocado from skin by using a large spoon and scooping it out gently, careful not to tear apart.

·       Place Avocado in center of the dressed mixed greens.

·       Top Avocado salad with Tomatoes and Herbs.  Season with Himalayan Sea Salt and fresh cracked Black Pepper.

·       Garnish with the Black Sesame Seeds all over salad.

((Note:  Extra Virgin Olive Oil can be used in place of Avocado Oil, and regular Sea Salt can be used in placed of Himalayan Sea Salt.)

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas w/Sour Cream Verde Sauce

This past weekend I whipped up some vegetarian enchiladas that were so delicious I just had to share this recipe. It's been a while since I posted a new recipe so I thought this was appropriate since I'm trying to eat more lighter and using less sodium. As all my friends and family know, I make everything from scratch so this recipe might seem a little tedious but it's really a quick recipe to pull together. I also used La Tortilla Factory's Yellow Corn Tortillas. They are so nice and soft and make these enchiladas extra special. So I recommend using them. Another tip is that I used only whole cumin seeds instead of ground cumin. It's give this filling a better flavor profile of the cumin than using ground. Try it and you will see what I mean.

Sour Cream Verde Sauce

6 Tomatillos, Whole

1 Cup Onion, Large Dice

1 Jalapeno, Fresh Whole (medium size)

1 Cup Cilantro, Fresh

2 Tbsp Sour Cream

Salt & Pepper to Season

In a small stock pot, add 2 cups water, tomatillos, jalapeno, and onion. Bring to boil and cook until tender. Remove from heat, drain and puree. Add the cilantro and puree again. Then add the sour cream, salt and pepper to season and mix together. Set aside.

Make the Filling:

2 Cups Sweet Potatoes, Diced

2 Cups Black Beans, Drained

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Whole Cumin Seeds

Salt & Pepper to Season

Corn Tortillas (La Tortilla Brand – Yellow Corn is awesome)

3 Cups Monterrey Jack Cheese, Shredded

In a sauté pan over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon cumin seeds. Toast seeds for a minute, and then add the diced sweet potatoes. Sauté until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

In same sauté pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoons cumin seeds, toast seeds for 1 minute, then add the drained black beans. Sauté for 1 minute, remove from heat and set aside.

To assemble:

Corn Tortilla

1 oz Sweet Potatoes

1 oz Black Beans

1 Tbsp Sauce

1 oz Monterrey Jack Cheese

Roll and put seam side down in baking pan. Repeat process until baking pan is filled. Pour over remaining sauce and top with remaining cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce and cheese are bubbly and lightly golden brown on top.

I served mine with a Thyme Grilled Chicken Breast that was a great accompaniment. I basically just seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme, then grilled it.

Thanks for stopping by...

Stormy