Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice

Happy New Year! As I near the end of my Netflix and Hulu binge -- I have been thinking about all the TV series I have watched. I thought it would be fun to share which shows and rank them in order from my most to least favorite. Don't judge me ... but this is sort of a personal accomplishment! I mean, who needs academic when you can claim the fame to being the best Netflix and Hulu binger :)

Going through the list, you are quickly going to notice that I like certain types of shows -- drama, crime shows. I know -- guilty pleasures -- my research advisor was quick to point out the corniness of these shows. But I still love them! So, if that is not your thing, this list is going to be pretty worthless to you. And sprinkled in are some pretty classy trashy TV shows. I am just saying #giveloveandhiphopachance! Here goes:

Monk

Person of Interest 

Chuck

Mysteries of Laura

Psych

Numb3rs

Perception

Lie to Me

Blacklist

The Mentalist 

Rosewood

Breakout Kings

Quantico

Medium

Crossing Jordan

Love and Hiphop Hollywood 

Girlfriends Guide to Divorce

Leverage 

White Collar

Law and Order SVU

Drop Dead Diva

The Finder

Missing

How to Get Away with Murder (not a fan) 
 Scandal (only seasons 1-3, because Olivia Pope gets on my last nerve) 

I am also an avid watcher of  the following Bravo shows (thank you Andy Cohen): Real Housewives (RH) of Orange Country, RH of Beverly Hills, RH of Atlanta, RH of New Jersey, Vanderpump Rules, Shahs of Sunset, and Top Chef. On TLC, I am addicted to Married at First Sight and 90 Day Fiance!

P.S. I am always looking for recommendations on new shows to watch.
 

The first rule to binge watching TV shows: always have yummy food on hand. That is why I was glad, when I found this recipe on Pinterest. Let's rewind. I love Chipotle, especially the cilantro lime rice. Doesn't everyone? This recipe takes it one delicious step further by adding in avocado. Do you guys ever splurge the extra $2.00 to get guacamole? I do! This recipe is guacamole meets cilantro lime rice. Happiness :) To the person who thought of this: Thank you, you brilliant soul.

AVOCADO CILANTRO LIME RICE

Slightly Adapted from Cooking Classy

INGREDIENTS

2 c. of uncooked brown rice 

2 medium ripe avocados 

3 tbsp. lime juice

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp. cumin

2 tbsp. minced garlic 

Salt and pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

Cook the brown rice (I used a rice cooker). Mash avocados in a large mixing bowl. Mix in lime juice, cilantro,  cumin and garlic. Stir in warm, cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper. Store in airtight container for no more than 1-2 days.

Enjoy,

Avocado Chicken Salad

When I first started really getting into blogging and wanted to be a "real blogger" (because that is a thing), I set a goal of posting 6 times a month. Fancy, I know! As my blog grew, I started to become cray about posting. Fun most of the time, a little stressful...yes! Balancing school, home and constantly posting was apparently not in my juggling act because I failed miserably and disappeared for months. So in going back to my roots...I decided to set a similar goal and I will be posting twice a week (Mondays and Wednesdays). A schedule for more organization?!?...I love it! It's an self-proclaimed OCD's dream come true!

I thought I would fill you all in on some more fun stuff that went down while I was MIA. Well on June 30th, the hubby and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary! Although marriage is work, I am happy to say that it went by really quickly and I am excited that we are on our third year:) And since we really loved going to Southeast Asia on our first anniversary, we decided this year we would go to Spain. And actually just came back about 2 weeks ago! I thought in the next few posts I could recap some of my travels (I also went to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a conference).

When we came home we celebrated with dinner at a College Station favorite -- the Republic -- and enjoyed some cake.  I had a local bakery remake our second to top tier of our wedding cake! Basically I wanted to celebrate with Ninja back at home :) We actually tried to take a "family picture" and below is what we "got."

[btw: if you didn't notice, I decided to cut my hair]

So -- avocado chicken salad (aka: guacamole chicken salad). It's awesome. I can easily see this as an appetizer  (on these easy homemade tortilla chips -- link to come) or as a sandwich (just like other chicken salad sandwiches). The hubby ate it on both chips (as a snack when he was hungry) and as a meal (like on French bread) for lunch. He really enjoyed it but so did I. I am not really a big chicken salad fan, but this one, I got into. Because it was not sweet or mixed with crazy things like raisins. hahahah. It's super simple to make too! I used some left over rotisserie chicken I had, but you can also use chicken breasts that you cook yourself.

AVOCADO CHICKEN SALAD 

 Recipe adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

INGREDIENTS

2 medium avocados, diced
3 tbsp. mayo
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 small can of Rotel (diced tomatoes with green chilies), drained
2 green onions, diced
2 c. cooked, shredded chicken*
Salt and cilantro to taste

Note: I used left over rotisserie chicken but you can also use cooked chicken breast. Just place it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and mix on medium-low speed. It will shred the chicken for you. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can shred by hand.

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mash avocados together until no large chunks remain. Mix in mayo and lime juice, stirring until well incorporated. Then add salt and cilantro to taste preference. Finally, using a spatula, fold in the can of Rotel (diced tomato with green chilies), green onions, and chicken until evenly distributed. That's it! You are done!

Serve with a side of tortialla chips or on bread as a sandwich OR grab a spoon and eat this sucker as is ;) No judgement....

Enjoy,

Avocado Grilled Cheese Sandwich

As I write this post, I am completely exhausted but not in that, "is this day over?" but in that wonderful "I had a really nice, busy day." I was up at 7am because I teach this semester at 8am. EIGHT AM [that was my attempt at screaming through text- did it work? ;)]. Another random fun fact (though-after thinking- I am not sure how much all my "fun facts" are actually fun)- I am NOT a morning person. And will avoid it at all cost. But I love teaching- and so I guess it all works out at the end.

After 12 hours of a filled day- I came home to, two more packages for my birthday! I also found out-- though not sure if the hubby was supposed to tell me--but he is picking up additional presents (where from? I do not know) that I think is being sent from my parents!! I cannot wait to enjoy a wonderful sushi dinner with some of my best friends and the hubby, eat yummy cupcakes (of course I would have cupcakes and not cake :), and open my presents!

Onward and forward to food: yesterday I made these avocado grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. When I first stumbled upon this recipe it looked really interesting, sparked my interest and seemed to have great potential to taste delicious- kind of like when I saw the Avocado Mac n' Cheese recipe. So I decided to try it! They were AWESOME! The hubby said they were delightfully light-feeling (like they did not make him feel heavy after eating it) and that it tasted just great! I agree! I am a huge fan of these sandwiches!

 AVOCADO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe avocados
2 tbsp. green onions
1 tsp. salt (add to taste)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tomato, sliced
8 pieces of bread
Butter for spreading
4 slices of desired cheese

*Optional: add diced jalapenos for flavor if desired

DIRECTIONS

To make the guacamole- cut avocados in half and remove seed. Scoop out the avocado from peel, using small spoon and place in medium sized bowl. Mash the avocados using a fork or flat tool (I use either the bottom of a water bottle or the top of a flat spice bottle-- so much easier for mashing). Add onions, lime juice, salt, and--if desired jalapenos. Stir until well combined. This guacamole will be used to make 3-4 sandwiches depending on how much guacamole you prefer to  have in each sandwich. 

Spread a layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread. The sides with the butter will be the outside of the grilled cheese. On the inside of the slices, spread a thick layer of guacamole. Then on one slice- top the guacamole with tomato, jalapenos  and finally a slice of cheese. Cover with other slice of bread, guacamole facing inside and butter on the outside. 

On the stove top, heat a skillet on medium heat. Grill sandwich on each side for about 2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Flip sandwich, and cook for an additional two minutes until also golden brown.  Repeat for remaining sandwiches.

Enjoy,
Chika

Stuffed Avocados

Yesterday, I hit the stores to see what good day-after Christmas deals I could find. I found some pretty cool things. I had no idea what good deals you could find on Christmas stuff! I had to hold myself back, otherwise I would have come home with a whole set of Christmas decorations for the apartment. But I did find cute Christmas containers for cookies! Let's cross our fingers to hope that next year I get to or the hubby gets to take part in a cookie exchange :) Do not worry-- if there is not one-- Ill create one :) I mean, who does not want to take part in a cookie exchange?!

On a related note. Do you know what else I would like to take part in? I must be slowly turning into a housewife but a Pinterest Party! Though only for food. It is like a cookie exchange but in general people make something they saw on Pinterest (it does not have to be food) and make enough for each person at the party. Then at the Pinterest party, each person gets one of what everyone made. I think for me, I would prefer food...because well I love food but I would like to see recipes that may not have caught my eye but taste delicious. Sadly, I live in College Station and my two good friends are boys. And though we do potluck dinners-- I am not sure they and the hubby would be fan of Pinterest parties :) 

Well, my morning appointment was cancelled. So I came home and wanted to whip up a really fast lunch. Like really fast! This is what I came up and it tasted delicious! Though you must be a fan of avocados, otherwise you will not enjoy this. But man, is this recipe easy to make and pretty healthy :)

STUFFED AVOCADOS

A For the Love of Dessert Original Recipe

INGREDIENTS

Preheat Oven to 425F Degrees

(Ingredients are for two servings-- one avocado)- multiply by servings needed

1 ripe avocado 

1/2-1 tomato, diced (or half a can of diced tomatoes, drained)

3/4 c. corn (drained or if frozen--warmed)

1/3 c. cream of cheese* 

1/3 c. bread crumbs 

1/4 c. shredded cheese (sprinkling)

1 green onion, diced

Cilantro, salt, pepper, lemon juice for garnish

* You may substitute with another cooking cream 

DIRECTIONS

Cut the avocado in half and remove pit. Set on baking sheet lined with Silpat or a parchment paper coated with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine tomato, corn, cream of cheese, and bread crumbs. Scoop out about 3-4 tbsp. of the mixture and fill the center of the avocado (where the pit used to be). Shape into a dome and flatten with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Then bake for 5-8 minutes. Remove and garnish with a pinch of cilantro, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Then top with green onions and serve.

Serve avocados with any additional stuffing. Extra stuffing is always yummy! Especially for the parts of the avocado not topped with stuffing! 

Enjoy,

Chika 

Southwestern Salad

I must be addicted to blogging- :)- again, not the worst problem to have.Though, I did say that I would take the time away from baking, but that does not mean that I can stop cooking-- after all hubbies do need to be fed ;)  I just really like sharing the different things I **attempt** to make. And well--there is always a few minutes of downtime to post.

I had no idea how fast Christmas was approaching. The hubby and I decided to just do a small Christmas- in no big or a lot of gifts-- since it was just the three of us (yes- that includes Ninja). So, I had Justin and Luke, talk to the hubby about video games-- because I knew that is what he would want for Christmas. Well, when I realized Christmas was this coming week, I went to Game Stop to pick up the game. I am glad I did because I found out that the game that he mentioned to Justin he wanted was an exclusive Game Stop release. Also, it was the last one :) Thank goodness- it is not like College Station has an abundance of Game Stops.

Then I went and got Mr. Ninja Face his presents. I got him some really cute treats, frisbees (because no, he does not like catching them but yes, he does like chewing them) and an adorable spikey ball. Ninja has way too many toys, so I thought treats would be good. But then again, Ninja has a lot of treats ;) When I went home, it was adorable, because I guess Ninja saw what was in the bag and just knew it was for him. So, when I put his things in the closet to hide, he sat outside the closet waiting. :) My baby is just too cute!

When I came home- I whipped up this quick and easy, throw together southwestern salad. It reminded me of the southwestern salad from BJs Restaurant and Brewery.

SOUTHWESTERN SALAD

Adapted from Greens and Chocolate 

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SALAD

1 large bag of chopped lettuce (or one head of lettuce chopped)

1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can of corn (drained and rinsed)

1 bell pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced (or 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed)

3 green onions, diced

1/4 c. cilantro, finely chopped 

2 avocados, sliced 

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded*

1 bag of tortilla strips* 

*I shred my chicken by cooking it in the crockpot first. I usually shred chicken in bulk. take what I need and refrigerate/freeze the rest :)

*Tortilla Strips are sold with the croutons 

FOR THE DRESSING

1/2 c. mayonnaise

2/3 c. plain yogurt

1 tbsp. ranch seasoning

3 tbsp. taco seasoning 

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, beans, corn, pepper, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro (mix well). Make sure all ingredients are dry and the lettuce can become soggy. When serving add chicken, avocado slices, and tortilla strips. 

For dressing, combine mayonnaise, plain yogurt, ranch seasoning and taco seasoning in small bowl and stir well. Drizzle dressing on top of salad(and shake well). 

Enjoy,

Chika 

Chicken Flautas with Avocado Cream Sauce

Two-post Tuesday! Do not get too excited- this was just a random decision ;) I am finally home- and back with my Ninja face. He is doing so much better! He is putting weight on his leg, slightly, and "allowing" us to put a cold towel around his leg. The hubby and I pretty much gave up on cold packing him but the vet suggested that we freeze a wet towel and wrap that around Ninja's leg. To Ninja- this option is more tolerable and so that is what we shall stick with-- tolerable but not acceptable. hehehe...

I cannot tell you the sweet, warm feeling I got from Ninja today when coming home from work. Only dogs- let me tell you...only dogs will have a major leg surgery and be in so much pain, only to be so excited and loving and affectionate when you come home from work- so willing to push their pain aside to be all about their owner. He got soo excited when I came back home that he was following me around, gave me lots of kisses and brought me a toy :) I am a proud mommy, who feels so lucky to have my Ninja face.

One more sweet moment- today I got a thoughtful present from an adorable young boy! He remembered that I loved to bake and bought me a Christmas themed spatula  So cute and sweet! I love those little moments that just mean so much to you- and you think? I wonder if they realize just how much they made your day :)  So to kind little kids and cutie-pie dogs- thank you for such an awesome day!

I came home, happy and excited- and well of course I wanted to post! I am a huge fan of flautas and this is the first time I've tried to make them- and I am not sure they are actual "flautas" but they are definitely not mini-taquitos like the original recipe. They are absolutely delicious! I eat the flautas from Grand Lux Cafe and these are just as good! I could eat them up, especially with the avocado cream sauce!

CHICKEN FLAUTAS WITH AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE

Adapted from "Mommy, I'm Hungry"

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE FLAUTAS

2-3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded*

6 oz. cream cheese, softened

14 small flour tortillas

Vegetable oil

FOR THE AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE

1 medium avocado

1/4 c. mayonnaise

1/4. c. sour cream

1 tbsp. milk

1 tsp. white vinegar

2 tsp. lemon juice 

1 tsp. onion powder

Pinch of salt

*What I do when I need shredded chicken is place the chicken in the crockpot for 5 hours on high. The chicken will become so tender that shredding it becomes super easy- just use two forks and pull apart :)

DIRECTIONS

Mix shredded chicken and cream cheese in a bowl. Take one tortilla and line the center with a strip (about 1/2 inch thick or 2 tbsp.) of shredded chicken mixture. Then roll the tortilla into a tight roll and poke through with a toothpick to keep shape- set aside on plate. Do this until the remaining mixture is used. Fill I large pot (I use a pot to prevent a lot of oil splatter)- with vegetable oil, about 3 inches deep and heat on medium-high. Once oil is hot, place one flauta in the pot and fry all around until golden brown- about 30 seconds-1 minute on each side. Remove flauta and let the oil drain on a paper towel. Cook remaining flautas. Let cool until warm and remove toothpick before serving.

To make avocado cream sauce- mash the avocado in a small bowl. I use the top of a spice bottle (super easy). Once mashed add sour cream and mayonnaise-- mix well. Then add milk, vinegar, lemon juice and incorporate well. Finally add onion powder, salt and pepper-- stir well so it gets evenly distributed. Serve along with flautas.

Enjoy,

Chika 

Cheesy Corn Cakes with Guacamole

Happy Sunday! This weekend was an interesting one. We finally set the date for Ninja's CCL (ACL) and Patella surgery- December 17th, 2012. My little baby is such a tropper- the vet said that seeing Ninja walk, he would never have guessed he has a torn ACL- and that Ninja must have a high tolerance for pain. Well- I know he is not going to like getting surgery and seeing him at the vet always breaks my heart- but I am hoping for a healthy and speedy recovery for my baby. I picked that surgery date so I could stay home with him for a month- to make sure I can take very good care of him. So that was a sad point for me- but thankfully the hubby came with me to the vet- becuase he knew it would be hard for me.

But thankful I have wonderful friends who invited Beau and I over for dinner and game night- for some good old fashion cheering up. I really need to host a dinner to thank them for that- because it meant a lot to me-- but now I have to find the perfect recipes (dinner + dessert). Then, I spent more of today baking and cooking away. I wanted to make a ton of sweets for my sister and brother-in-law for Thanksgiving. My sister let me know that my brother-in-law is a fan of cookies, so I am going to have a fun-filled Thanksgiving cookie post series. I am really excited to share some of those recipes with you all. I am also really excited because I finally got to go back to my "roots"- in that I spent the day making a lot of desserts :) My true love and the reason I started this blog.

Although there are only two days in this week before Beau and I get to take off and have 5 days of freedom :) (not really...as I have a TON of grading and writing)...but at least a break...I have a feeling those two days are going to crawl by. Does that ever happen to you- where you are so so so excited for something and times seems to go backwards as you are waiting? Well- as I am waiting- I made these Corn Cakes and they are DELICIOUS! I really love corm and Guacamole- and I could not get enough of this recipe!

CHEESY CORN CAKES WITH AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE

Adapted from Simply Delicious

INGREDIENTS

CORN CAKES
2 cans of corn (unsweetened)- drained
1 can of creamed corn- not drained
1/2 c. of milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 c. of cheese
1 1/2 c. of flour
1/2 c. of bread crumbs
1 tsp. baking soda
Olive oil for frying

Guacamole
3 large avocadoes
3 tbsp. onions
2 tbsp. green onions
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

Combine corn, milk, eggs, and paprika- mix well. Then add cheese, followed by flour, bread crumbs and baking soda. Make sure the mixture is not too watery- you want it to be thick consistency to be able to scoop spoonfuls. Set aside.

On the stove top, heat a large frying pan on medium heat and add some oil so bottom of pan is covered. Once oil is hot- drop spoonful of mixture (I would drop a spoonful and use the tip of the spoon to spread into pancake likes shapes). Once the top begins to bubble (about 1-2 minutes each side)- flip and fry the other side. The goal is to get a nice golden brown crust on each side. Place ontop of napkin to soak up excess oil. Repeat- until all of the corn mixture is used.

For the avocado cream sauce or gaucamole- mash up three ripe avocadoes. Then add in remainder of ingredients- onions, salt and lemon juice and mix well. Serve either on top or to the side of the corn cakes.

Enjoy,
Chika

Avocado Gazpacho

Happy Labor Day Everyone! Although it was a day off, I was a catch up day for me. For dinner, I needed a recipe that was quick to make and I had some left over avocados, so it also needed to have avocados in it. What was the result? Well googled "quick, easy, avocado recipes"- the result was avocado gazpacho. Hmmm...it sounded interesting and looked intersting...I guess the hubster will be having gazpacho for dinner tonight :)

Intesting fact for today: gazpacho. I know for me, I had heard of it but I was not quite sure what it was. Gazpacho is traditionally a tomato-based, vegetable soup that is traditionally served cold and is largely part of the Spanish Cuisine. Since it is served, cold, it is most oftened consumed during the summer months because it is said to be refreshing. Although, traditionally made with a tomato based, modern takes on gazpacho have used varying bases- in my case- avocado. Bottom line: if you feel like soup but its hot outside, make some gazpacho.

I made this in just a few minutes, using my food processor (yes- the hubster and I were gifted an amazing, Cuisinart Food Processor). And best of all, the hubster had a spoonful and really enjoyed it! Yes, score one for the recipe keepers :) Though the hubster says everything I make is good- he has very obvious tells in his face- this tell- he enjoyed the gazpacho. And lucky for him- today is a hot, hot day in Texas but thankfully after taking Ninja to the dog park- he has a nice bowl, of cold, gazpacho!

Quick note: my gazpacho was more on the split-pea color instead of the vibrant green avocado color. The reason- instead of using green bell peppers to maintain the integrity of the green, I utilized red and orance bell peppers. Thus modifying the green color just a bit.

AVOCADO GAZPACHO

Adapted from Haas Avocados

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp. olive oil
4 ripe, avocados
2 large bell peppers
1 c. chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1/2 large cucumber
2 tbsp. lemon juice

GARNISH
Bacon
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic
Diced tomato
Tortilla strips (or croutons)

DIRECTIONS

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Cook bacon and cut into thin strips. As for the other garnishes- I did not put specific amounts because I think this depends on the person. I put a large amount of salt, garlic and cayenne pepper because I like a kick and some spice to my soup. I used the tomotao, tortilla strips and bacon as decorative garnish. Lastly, I sprinkled pepper and oregano. Chill in refridgerator. Yes, its that simple!

Enjoy,
Chika