Category Archives: Guest Recipes
Guacamole Salad
Photo credit: Cook’s Country website
I thought this might be fun on Cinco de Mayo and I promised someone a vegetarian treat today.
The original recipe comes from Cooks Country and normally I’d just link to it, but they’re behind a paywall and I never know if you can access the information. So I’m reproducing it here.
Guacamole Salad
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Tasters liked the consistently sweet taste of grape tomatoes compared with other varieties. Tasters also liked the flavor of minced garlic present in many guacamole salad recipes, but thought raw onions were just too harsh, so we used scallions instead. Steeping the garlic and scallions in lime juice for a few minutes before combining them with the avocados mellowed their flavor.
We wanted plenty of peppers for crunch and bulk, but a large quantity of jalapeños made the salad too hot to eat. Milder poblanos, with just a hint of heat, were a better choice.
Serves 4 to 6
If you can’t find poblano peppers, substitute an equal number of Anaheim chiles, or a large green bell pepper mixed with up to 2 tablespoons of minced jalopeño chile.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- Salt and pepper
- 4 scallions, sliced thin
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 poblano chiles, seeded and sliced into 2-inch matchsticks
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, skinned, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (see related Dicing Avocado tip)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
1. SALT TOMATOES Toss tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheet and let drain 15 minutes.
2. MAKE DRESSING Combine scallions, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes, then slowly whisk in oil.
3. TOSS SALAD Add chiles, avocados, cilantro, and drained tomatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
POBLANOS, THE RELLENO CHILES
Our recipe for Guacamole Salad calls for poblano chiles, a tapered, deep-green, medium-sized Mexican chile. They taste slightly bitter, similar to green bell peppers but with a spicier finish. Sold both fresh and dried (the dried are called anchos), they are used in many Mexican dishes, most famously in the United States in deep-fried, cheese-stuffed chiles rellenos. If you can’t find poblanos, substitute one medium green bell pepper and 1 to 2 tablespoons of minced jalapeño (about ½ chile) per poblano.
Guest Recipes: Corned Beef Styles
Corned Beef by JeffreyW
I put up a post on my Facebook page to poll my family on their favorite ways to prepare corned beef to supplement tonight’s Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe exchange. Here are two of my favorites.
My mom:
Corned beef – buy the flat, not the point. Roasting or simmering in water. I prefer the simmering method. Cut across the grain – easier to cut and eat. After simmering til tender, place in the oven and brush a mixture of brown sugar and mustard on it and bake til this is carmelized. 20 minutes or so at 350 -385. This firms it up and it improves the flavor While you do this, you can toss potatoes, carrots and onions in the cooking water and cabbage the last 10 minutes or so.
I really like her idea of taking it out and finishing it in the oven. I would under-cook the two recipes I’ll be posting, the pressure cooker by 10 minutes and the slow-cooker by a half hour.
And from my uncle Bob:
Corned beef – buy the flat for simmering/roasting but get the points if you want to cook it on the grill. Corn beef, potatoes (preferably baby reds, carrots and onions, gotta have my onions all go into the roaster. Cover with water and put in the oven on low temp. Add cabbage about 30 minutes before you plan to eat. I like my cabbage to be soft. Remove the corned beef, wrap in foil and let rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
For the grill I prefer the points. ‘Slather’ plain old prepared mustard on the points and place on the grill. Use indirect heat, cook about 2 hrs, then wrap in foil and throw them back on the grill or in the oven at low temp. Let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing.
I like the grilling idea, but it may take me a few more tries with basic cooking before I attempt that style.
Fresh Peach Lemonade from Tes
I love reading Tes’ blog. She goes on the best adventures, cooks delicious looking food and has the most adorable family and she generously shares it with us. Today she posted a lovely peach lemonade recipe and I learned something new – it’s peach season in India, too. It looks so refreshing I had to share it with you:
Photo by Tes at Home (tesathome.com)
When peach season arrives, there are few regular routines I attend in my kitchen. I need to make a few jars delicious peach chutney, some peachy, chewy fruit leathers, and finally… there has to be this fresh peach lemonade to lighten up everything.
My peach lemonade is fuzz free, easy and quick. There’s no need of cooking the peach syrup. Everything is just fresh and raw so you will not lose any natural goodness or flavor at all.
Fresh Peach Lemonade
Ingredients: (2 Servings)
2 peaches- chopped
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice- or to taste
2 tbsp honey (or sugar if preferred)
3 cup ice-chill water
Ice cubes for serving
Some fresh peach slices for serving
For the complete recipe, click here
Pop on over to her blog and see all the photos and the complete recipe. Then look around and for sure look for a photo of her too-cute-for-words little one.
Summer Rerun: Guest Recipe: Cabbage Rolls
I am reposting this because John Cole had a birthday last week and his dad made him cabbage rolls again and everyone was asking for the recipe. Here it is. Originally published August of 2010:
I was catching up on my Balloon-Juice reading one afternoon, when blog host John Cole mentioned that his dad was making cabbage rolls that night for dinner. It so happens I’ve been looking for a good recipe for cabbage rolls for a while. I figured if it was served in the Cole household it must be good. John was kind enough to fulfill my request, so here is Dad Cole’s recipe:
Dad’s Cabbage Rolls
- 1 medium size head of cabbage
- (If you use Savoy cabbage, the cabbage will cook faster and the rolls are more delicate.)
Stuffing:
- 1 pound ground beef mixed with ½ pound ground pork
- 1 small to medium onion, chopped small
- 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup uncooked rice
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, oregano, and basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
- 1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Sauce
- 1 large can of tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp parsley, oregano, and basil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in a cup of hot water
- salt and pepper
- 1 small can of sauerkraut
Boil three quarts of water in a large pot. Cut the core out of the cabbage and remove each cabbage leave carefully. When the water is boiling, drop the cabbage leaves into the water. Leave for at least two minutes. Remove and cool in ice cold water. Drain and then use a pair of shears to remove the hard ridge that is the spine of leaf. Set leaves aside on a paper towel to drain.
In a bowl, mix the beef and pork with the eggs, seasonings, rice, and tomato paste as though you were making a meatloaf.
Take a leaf, place a large tablespoon of the meat mixture at the core end of the leaf. Roll once, then fold each side over the mixture and complete rolling the filling to the end of the leaf.
Place rolls in a crock pot or baking casserole. As you layer them, spread the sauerkraut and any leaves not used after (chopped into fine strips). Mix sauce ingredients and pour over the rolls. Make certain there is enough liquid to cover the rolls. If using a crock pot, select the time. They can be cooked slowly over a 6-8 hour period, or within 4 hours. If baking, set the oven at 350 and bake for at least 1 ½ hours or until a fork can easily pierce a top roll. If more liquid is needed to keep the rolls covered, mix a small can of sauce with an equal amount water and add during the cooking time.
Serve with a sprinkle of freshly grated aged Parmesan.
I can’t wait to have an occasion to try these out. And I’ll let you in on a little secret. I only hang out at Balloon-Juice because I have a huge crush on this guy:
Balloon-Juice Lord and Master
John, I had to go back 4 months to find a good picture of Tunch, which means one thing, MORE TUNCH please.
Tes Makes Beef Stew with Apples
Tes' Beef Stew photo by Tes at Home
I was pleased to pop over to Tes at Home and find Tes created a wonderful recipe that would be perfect for a tonight’s slow cooker recipe exchange It sounds like she peeked into her kitchen and found a variety of ingredients and decided they would make a good stew. I believe she’s right. Click link below or either picture for the recipe.
Tes’ Beef Stew with Marjoram and Apples
Can't wait to try this. Photo by Tes at Home
