Sweet Potato Patties, I'll never let you go

Hey hey kiddos, quick and dirty tonight...tomorrow is my first day of work at my new job, after all. :)

The topic? Sweet Potatoes. The taste? Phenomenal. The picture? Less than extraordinary. (Sorry, still don't have my camera charger -- I took this picture with my iphone.)

A few nights ago I made mashed sweet potatoes to go with our dinner of French Onion soup, roasted chicken with meyer lemons, and a green salad. I baked the two huge sweet potatoes and then mashed them, skins on, with a dab of wildflower honey, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. They were wonderfully savory and complimented the tangy chicken perfectly.

Last night, however, dinner was a bit different. I roasted a slab of salmon in the oven (seasoned with fresh oregano and more meyer lemon) (I would have grilled it, but wouldn't you know that our deck is being ripped out because of water and termite damage and we can't walk out to the grill for fear of collapsing the fragile remnants of our once beautiful deck. Don't ask.), blanched some green beans, and reheated the left-over French Onion soup.

I wanted to use the left-over mashed sweet potatoes also, but I didn't want to simply reheat them. Instead, I unearthed an old recipe from my memories of helping my parents cook as a child. My mom and dad both loved potato patties (fried circles of day-old mashed potatoes, mixed with diced onions, and salt and pepper) and I loved to help them shape the potato mixture into patties. Plus, dipping the (crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside) potato patties into ketchup was highly entertaining to my as a kid. I haven't had them in years.

I created the below recipe based on that memory -- our dinner guests and I gobbled them up. Hope you give them a try, they are really, really worth it!

Sweet Potato Patties

(Sorry, all ingredients are approximations -- this sort of recipe I do by feel)

Ingredients:

-- leftover mashed sweet potatoes, skins on (approximately 3 cups)
-- flour (approximately 3/4 cup)
--eggs (two)
--nutmeg (1/2 teaspoon *freshly* grated)
--cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon ground)
--ginger (1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated)
-- salt and pepper
--honey (one teaspoon, but only if the mashed sweet potatoes don't already have honey added)

-- neutral oil, such as canola, for frying

Directions:

1) Combine all ingredients, except the oil, with your hands. Be sure to add the flour bit by bit (you may not use it all). The mixture should be thick and tacky like playdough. If it is too wet, add more flour, if it is too dry, add a bit of water or an extra egg white.

2) Heat oil in large cast iron frying pan (enough oil to go 1/4 inch up the side of the pan) until sizzling. A drop of water should dance on the surface.

3) Form golf ball sized balls of sweet potato mixture, and flatten them to about 1/2 thick

4) Slide the patties into the oil, making sure the pan isn't too crowded. When one side is browned, flip the patty and fry the other side until golden.

5) Remove the patties from the oil and place them on a plate covered with a layer of paper towels.

6) Fry the patties in batches until all of the mixture is used.

7) Blot the excess oil from any patties and serve hot.


Notes:

Be sure to use fresh oil -- rancid or stale oil will ruin these. Also, the freshly grated nutmeg is very important, pre-ground will not be nearly as good. Additionally, the patties should have a crunchy exterior and a smooth, creamy interior. Finally, you should be able to taste the interplay of the salt/sweet/spice flavors.

We served these for dinner, but our plan is to reheat the left-overs in the oven and serve them for breakfast with maple syrup. I'll let you know how it goes!

I'm back!

Hello, and deepest apologies. As you've very likely noticed, I've been absent for some months. In a nutshell, I was working 14 + hour days and nearly every weekend. I didn't have time to get my haircut, let alone cook any sort of meal and take pictures of it. I subsisted on sandwiches most nights for dinner (around 11:30 p.m.) and almost entirely stopped going to the farmers market (and mainly just shopped for necessities at Trader Joes). They were sad times friends, sad times.

However, I did manage to take a trip to Italy in October (and, while staying at an old Tuscan villa, enjoy mind-bogglingly good food). I also took multiple trips to New York City to visit the boyfriend (and, while there, also relished delicious meals at fabulous restaurants). Of course, taking these trips necessitated even more time at work and no time to document all of the tastiness.

Never fear fine reader, those times are behind us. I have quit my job a The Big Law Firm and will be starting a new job next Monday. My hope is that the new job will not suck as many hours out of my life as the old one (and how could it?) and that I will be able to return to regular posting! First, however, I need to buy a battery charger for my camera. What good is this blog without the pictures? :)

All the gooey details

Hello, my most patient of friends/readers/ random finders of this blog. I vow to never again be as lax as have been this month with my posting. I offer no excuses -- a busy life is no reason not to be totally obsessed with eating food, writing about food, and taking pictures of food, right? :)

And, as I promised, on to all of the gooey food details from my vacation!

First up, Turkey (the country, not the bird).

Turkey was fan-freaking-tastic.

We went to Kusadasi to see the ruins of Ephesus (as in the city from the book of Ephesians in the Bible -- seriously old and awesome ruins) and to Istanbul.

I LOVED Istanbul. I seriously think I could live in there. The city is vibrant, beautiful, unique, metropolitan, and swarming with people. Oh, the apple tea, the carpets, the mosques, the tiles, the bazaar (swoon!).... I have only good things to say.

A small slice of Istanbul.

Me and some of the best tiles ever. :)

Kusasasi was also pretty fantastic -- it is a vacation city (though we didn't get to spend much time there -- we spent our day climbing around the old city of Ephesus) and it is much smaller than Istanbul. On the plus side, we had the most hysterical tour guide in Kusadasi -- I'm going to try and relate to you how she sounded. However, I warn you that translating an accent into written language is hard and some of the humor might get lost.

What she said was: "My dear guests, our driver Mr. Ahmeet will be taking us to the Third Ephesus" (She said "my dear guests" at the beginning of *each* sentence -- it was awesome --and she was referring to the fact that Ephesus was rebuilt three times).

What she sounded like, however, was this: "My deeeeeeeer guests, our driver, Meeestery Meat, will be taking us to Tuuuuurd Ephesus." Her accent was a bit like a vampire from an old movie crossed with a cheerful (Turkish) school teacher. We loved her, and couldn't stop giggling about our driver Mystery Meat, and our journey to Turd Ephesus.

The original Nike (the goddess) sculpture in Ephesus. Can you figure out where Nike (the company) came up with the "swoosh" design?

Those crazy Ephesians and their two story buildings.

Those crazy Kusadasians and their "magic atmosphere!" (This was seriously the sign for the bathrooms at Ephesus.)

After we left the ruins in Ephesus, there was a small market. In this market, from a street vendor, I bought God's own figs. No really. These figs were transcendent. After tasting just one, I shrieked/moaned with delight, and shoved another one greedily in my mouth, (with complete and utter disregard for any potential lurking intestinal disease.) They were achingly sweet, perfectly ripe, and almost erotically lush. Take a look:

The fruit of the gods. I've never had figs like these before.

In Istanbul, I had a delightful, though much less palate-altering, meal. For lunch one day, just outside of the Grand Bazaar, we feasted on kebabs and rice. This was my plate -- perfectly seasoned chicken, delicious rice (it tasted nutty -- I think it was browned before it was steamed. Regardless, it was damn fine rice), tomatoes, and french fries (which I didn't eat. Who goes to Turkey and eats fries???)

Note the darker pieces of rice. Yum!

For drinks at that particular meal, I went with their house specialty imported beer: Miller Lite. Yes, I'm serious. (And, more importantly, who goes to Turkey to drink cheap American beer? Me, apparently. In my defense, it seemed slightly safer than the tap water)

See?


Next up, food wise, Naples. Italy in general has um, how do I say it?, ....um, astounding food. I know I don't need to tell all of you the glories of sweet fruity olive oil, the beauty of the fresh produce, or the siren call of wine. However, if you'll indulge me, I will fill you in on our day of yummy food in and around Naples.

We first went to Pompeii (it was entertaining, but the ash bodies just made me sad. I will point out that however big you think Pompeii is, it is at least 4 times bigger. The ruins are huge.) and then we jaunted up the Amalfi Coast. Seriously? Double swoon. I believe I would give my left arm to be independently wealthy and be able to buy a big, gorgeous house on the Amalfi Coast.

Anyway, my friends and I settled in for a long, leisurely Italian lunch at a cute cafe near the Coast. We started with some antipasti:

My plate, from the top, clockwise: mussels in decadent tomato sauce, perfectly tender grilled calamari, crusty fresh bread, and marinated veggies -- eggplant, zucchini, and peppers. There was also an assortment of cheeses available, but being allergic to milk, I of course didn't take any.

Next course was the pizza. Now, those of you who have been reading my blog for a bit, might remember that in my post in April, I pointed out that eating pizza in Naples (the birthplace of pizza) was one of my 25 things to do before I turned 50. Well kids, mission accomplished....and oh, what a sweet reward. My frutti de mare pizza was exquisite. A delicious crispy/chewy crust -- lightly blistered on the bottom with charred spots. Perfectly balanced tomato sauce. Tender seafood. A glorious trinity of textures, flavors, and smells. It was all I dreamed and more.

Accomplishing a goal sure feels (tastes) good!

After lunch, we strolled around the shopping area and picked up jewelry, admired some inlaid wood (which the region is famous for), and perused the fruit stands. Apparently, other than inlaid wood, Sorrento is also famous for some hard-core lemons. Um, limoncello anyone? Anyway, check out the size of these babies:

They were huge -- and incredibly fragrant. I only wished I had stayed in Naples for longer so I could have made a batch of lemonade, or a tart, or marinated some fish,.... or, or, or (I could keep going with a million ways I could have used those glorious lemons).

We also enjoyed our fair share of cafe, the aforementioned limoncello, and some gelato. "Wait!", I hear you say. "Kristel, you can't have gelato. Hello? Dairy allergy?" And to that I reply one word: Sorbetto. Yes indeed, folks, those Italians make some of the best sorbetto in the world. And I was lucky enough to have life-changing dark chocoloate sorbetto with chunks of dark chocolate while in Sorrento. I am at a loss for words to describe the experience of eating this dessert. It was unlike any sorbet I'd ever had before -- incredibly smooth, deeply flavored, and impossibly rich. If I lived in Italy I think I'd weigh 500 pounds. Look, I won't even stop eating it to take a picture:

* Friends of Kristel (I'm looking at you, Melissa, Jason, and Ben), if you do not want your picture on this website, let me know. If not, you and your gluttonous, gelato eating ways will be on display for the world to see.

Next up, Rome! In Rome I saw approximately one million amazing things, including: St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, the Spanish Steps, and lots of sculptures. Here I am in front of the Trevi fountain:

I also saw (but did not eat) a very interesting flavor of gelato:

I guess it keeps you, uh, primed and ready.

In related news, another funny Roman food sign:

I find this hilarious. I'm not sure why. I think it is the "only from we" bit.

Onward we slog, on this pictorial tour, towards Florence. Florence is clearly a beautiful city with amazing architecture:

The camera just doesn't do justice to the intricacy of these churches.

Hello, awesome door.

Perhaps more importantly, Florence is the home of some amazing leather. Including a new leather blazer that hangs proudly (and so far unworn) in my warm southern California home.

Perhaps most importantly, it is the home of the best plate of pasta that I've ever eaten. Hands down.

I personally have problems making properly al dente pasta. It is always either too raw or a little too soft. Even at restaurants I find that it tends to fall just short or just over al dente. Well, some crazy Florence voodoo magic was at play here (or the chef was just really good) because this pasta was what pasta is meant to be. It defined the word toothsome. The noodles were chewy, but not elastic, tender, but not soft, flavored, but not strongly. In a word, perfect. Oh, and the sauce was pretty much divine. I inhaled this plate of pasta, pausing only long enough to reflect, "sweet lord, this is the best carbohydrate known to man (or woman)."

It may not look like much, but I would give almost anything to be able to create a pasta dish this good.


Finally, the food on the ship. I don't really have much to say about the food on the cruise ship. I guess I could say that there was a lot of it. The quantity far outshone the quality. Etc. I did take a picture of the one dish on the ship that I thought was superb. My salad of lobster, crab, shrimp, grapefruit, avocado, and cilantro oil was wonderful. Of course, it would be difficult to make those ingredients taste badly. Nevertheless, here is my favorite dish from the ship:

Check out the size of the claw meat!


And, to wrap up - I did go to other places on this trip -- I just have no food related pictures. I was in Venice (sorry, no pictures, period. I'd been to Venice before, and just wasn't feeling the picture taking vibe while I was there this time),

Athens, Greece,

and a few villages in Marseilles, France.

Thanks for taking the time to read my account of food and fun from this vacation. I leave you with the image of me doing what I did best on the ship: drinking wine.

Ciao!

Bah!

Sweet mother of all things good and holy. This week? Gah.

Our power was out for nearly 24 hours. In stifling heat.

There was a HUGE accident on the 101 right outside my house yesterday. Traffic was backed up for literally 6 miles. Getting to work yesterday was misery incarnate.

My camera charger is missing. And, without it, I can't upload photos of the trip or of subsequent delicious food, so I can't blog about anything.

My luggage is still traveling Europe without me. Most recently, Princess Cruises told me that they shipped it from Barcelona, to Belgium, to the U.K. We'll see if I ever receive it.

Work is, well, work. And therefore, all consuming.

M is having neck surgery today -- getting 3 vertebrae fused together. Enough said. :(

I could go on -- but I have a feeling you might get bored. The moral of this story? I'm frazzled. And feeling guilty about not posting. I will. I promise. Very, very soon. Until then, read the archives. I recommend the recipe for smoked salmon pizza.

I'm Back!

Hello, hello, my dedicated handful of readers. :)

The Mediterranean did me well. Princess Cruises and Air France? Not so much.

To make a very, very long story short, we had a wonderful vacation around the Mediterranean (Italy, Greece, Turkey, Spain, and France), save for the overwhelming incompetence of both Princess Cruise and Air France. Princess Cruise line lost our luggage at the beginning and at the end of the trip, served us staggeringly mediocre food, and provided us with tour guides that lacked any semblance of a personality. Granted, we did have a few good meals, the staff on-board were very nice, and we did run across at least one entertaining guide. On the whole, however, Princess was disappointing. The actual ports, though? They were wonderful.

I'd love to show you some of my pictures, but as the result the aforementioned incompetence of Princess Cruise line and Air France, I am still missing two of my pieces of luggage. In those bags, other than my clothes, shoes, jewelry, gifts, souvenirs, toothbrush, etc., is my camera charger. Without that charger, I can't upload any pictures. Therefore, until either Princess or Air France manages to get their act together, you will have to wait with bated breath for shots of food and fun from around the Mediterranean and the stories of the same.

However, in the meantime, I thought I'd share some pictures of The Best Soup Ever. A few weeks before I left for vacation, I invited some friends over and made the Best Soup Ever for the first time this year. It was just as delicious as we remembered -- tangy, smokey, herby, salty, and fresh. If you haven't read the recipe, please do. You can find it here. Enjoy!

The garnishes, clockwise from the top: diced heirloom tomatoes, limes, hot sauce, shredded smoked trout, shopped cilantro, minced basil.

Words don't do justice to the deliciousness. No, really.

Seriously, make this soup.

Cantaloupe and Black Pepper Sorbet and Ciao (for a bit)!

I hate to be that blogger that constantly apologizes for falling behind on posting. But....I'm sorry.

I admit that I've been really lax about posting for a few weeks...I'm further ashamed to divulge that it will be another few weeks before I'm back in the saddle, as it were.

Work has been, how shall I say this? Demanding. I have a horrible cold. I was out of town at a wedding. Etc. Etc. Etc. I could talk (type?) your ear off all day, but I'd still have to apologize. So I'm sorry, dear reader, I vow to get better.

However, not until mid- August.

Why will it be that long, you ask? Well, I'm about to go on a long awaited, much hyped, and hopefully fabulous, vacation. My best friends and I are going on a cruise around the Mediterranean, starting this Friday and lasting until August 9. During that time, I will devouring all of the delicious food I can find, drinking all the wine I see, and taking plenty of notes about everything to share with you all. However, the one thing I won't be doing, is blogging.

So for now, please accept my apology, enjoy the recipe, and get excited about the stories to come!


Cantaloupe and Black Pepper Sorbet



Ingredients

--5 cups cantaloupe chunks
--1/2 cup sugar
--1/2 cup water
--pinch salt
--1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
--2 tablespoons vodka

Directions:

1) bring sugar, water, and salt to a boil. Then, simmer, stirring often until sugar is completely dissolved. Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

2) In your blender, combine cantaloupe chunks, sugar syrup, salt, pepper, and vodka and blend until smooth. For best results, refrigerate this mix for at least an hour.

3) freeze according to ice cream maker instructions

Notes:

Yes, black pepper and cantaloupe are delicious together, I promise. My family has always put pepper on cantaloupe (and salt on watermelon), and relished in the contrasting flavor. This sorbet takes this idea a bit further...and, man, oh, man, is it delicious. Sweet and smooth, with a subtle kick. Please don't be turned off by the idea of pepper in your dessert -- it really is good. :)

Oh, and the vodka? Keeps the sorbet from freezing too hard. Don't worry, it's not going to get you (or your kids or neighbors) inebriated!


And, the main part of that meal: Cockles with garlic and parsley, over whole wheat pasta.

And, on the side, sauteed squash and a glass of Prosecco with a raspberry. (Oh, yes, and a citronella candle -- we were eating outside, after all!)

On that note, I bid you farewell for a few weeks -- but, never fear, gentle reader, I'll be back soon enough, with lots of inspiration and plenty of tales to tell. Ciao!

Wrap-tastic

Have I mentioned how much I love the combination of mint, cilantro, and basil? Put those three herbs together and mix them up with almost any savory dish and I'll come sit at your table.

I buy mint, cilantro, and basil every week at the farmer's market and use them in summer salads, in any asian style soup, in tuna salad, chicken salad, in larb, in sorbet (no, really), and in a multitude of other dishes. Like I said, I adore the combination -- it is heady with fragrance, complexly nuanced, and fresh beyond belief.

Last night, D and M were coming home late from the airport, and I promised to have something yummy on the table when they got in. Because it was the end of the week, and the larder was on the empty side, I did not have much to work with. However, I did have the magical mix of herbs, a slab of marinated tofu, and a bag of chili flavored noodles.

Necessity being the mother of invention as it is, and those being the ingredients that I had on hand, this dish was created. It turned out to be a distant cousin to one of my favorite dishes, larb. D, M, and I all enjoyed it -- give it a try, it is another one of those fast, simple, healthy meals that you can get on the table in just about 30 minutes (and holds really well, you can serve it warm or at room temperature, or even cold).


Tofu Noodle Wraps



Ingredients:

--3 or 4 purple cabbage leaves per person, separated from the head and cleaned

-- 1 lb pasta (either soba noodles, udon noodles, or thin spaghetti noodles -- mine happened to be chili flavored spaghetti)

--1/2 cup total of liquid (your choice on the ratio, but I include: sesame oil, soy sauce, a bit of fish sauce, lucky boy soy paste, rice wine vinegar, and rooster sauce)
--2 cloves garlic, diced
--1 inch fresh ginger, dished
-- 1 8 oz package of baked tofu, sliced into matchsticks
--4 green onions, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
--1 cup sliced mushrooms
--1 cup diced herbs (basil, mint, and cilantro)

Directions:

1) put a large pot of water on to boil, and, when boiling, add your pasta. Cook until al dente and then drain.

2) meanwhile, heat the liquid mixture in a large wok until bubbling. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for about a minute.

3) add the tofu, onions, and mushroom, and cook, stirring regularly until mushrooms are done and tofu is heated through -- about 10 minutes. Then turn the heat off.

4) add the herbs and the drained noodles to the tofu mixture and stir until everything is incorporated and the noodles are slicked with sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning (at this point I added more rooster sauce)

To Serve:

Pile the noodle mixture onto a large plate, next to the plate of cabbage leaves. Let each person fill their own leaf to make their own wrap(s).

Just before the first bite. Yum!

In other (culinary) news, check out some of the first tomatoes from my tomato plants!

And, look at the delicious cupcakes I made for a 4th of July party -- they are the cupcake version of this cake. They were phenomenal, if I do say so myself, and were devoured in minutes after I brought them out. :)

Sucky Day Salad

Sometimes, you just have a sucky day. Or maybe you don't. Maybe it's just sometimes *I* have a sucky day. I doubt it though -- like death, taxes, and Paris Hilton, bad days are here to stay.

When I get home from an especially awful day (which for me usually includes: getting up early, horrible traffic, demanding clients, difficult bosses, and a late night) I need something easy for dinner. But more than that, I need something easy and good. No soup from a can or heated up pasta will do. I need something that will make me feel healthy, fill me up, and won't take me more than 15 minutes to prepare.

Enter, Sucky Day Salad.

There are a thousand variations on Sucky Day salad. The basic formula is this:

Your favorite salad greens (I like spring mix, spinach, and arugula) + assorted fresh veggies (I usually add tomatoes, mushrooms, and carrots) + protein source (for me, generally grilled chicken, tuna, tofu, or beans) + something a bit exotic (artichoke hearts, high quality olives, roasted peppers, etc.) + salad dressing of choice (usually a vinaigrette of some kind).

Simple? yes. But also, healthy, tasty, easy, and brightly colored. Certain to improve any sucky day.

My most recent example:

Mixed greens, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, cold, cooked lentils, roasted red and yellow peppers, and basil vinaigrette.

All of the ingredients live permanently in my pantry and refrigerator, and the entire thing takes less than 15 minutes to put together. Goodbye sucky day, indeed.

Chimichurri 2.0

Earlier this month, I was out to dinner with some friends from work. We were tired, hungry, and, for some unknown reason, talking about baseball. One of my cohorts, as they perused the menu, asked the table what chimichurri sauce was...happy that the conversation had moved from the Red Sox (of which I know nothing) and on to food (of which I know many things), I piped up with an explanation of the Argentinean sauce and its uses. In case you, lovely reader, are unsure, chimichurri sauce is usually made from chopped parsley, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and paprika. The herb mix is moistened with olive oil and a bit of vinegar, and the loose sauce is most often used to top steaks or as a dipping sauce for bread.
.

I had this delicious mixture on my mind as I set about making dinner a few nights ago. I had some beautiful fresh, yellow wax beans, some adorable tiny potatoes, and a hunk of never frozen halibut. The yellow beans were on the receiving end of a hot bath in boiling salt water, and the potatoes were tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika and left to roast in the oven, while the halibut was sprayed with lemon juice and then dusted in salt and pepper before going on the grill. This meal was easy, healthy,.... and honestly, a bit boring. I needed something to liven up the lean fish, and provide a contrast to the simple beans and potatoes.

.

I came up with this sauce, a first cousin of chimichurri, as a solution. It is so simple, I'm almost embarrassed to share the recipe with you, but its bright herby flavor was the perfect addition to our plates. I imagine that it would be delicious with anything grilled, from fish to chicken, and would also be wonderful as a baked potato topping or as a sauce to pour over sweet corn. Experiment -- and let me know of any other uses you find for it.

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Herb Sauce (Chimichurri style)

Ingredients:

.

--1/4 cup fresh basil, chiffonaded (I use thai purple basil)

--1/4 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed

--1/4 cup fresh mint, chiffonaded

--1 clove garlic, mashed into a paste with a pinch of salt

--salt and freshly ground pepper

--2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice)

--1 tablespoons olive oil (or more to taste)

.

Directions

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1) grind all ingredients together with mortar and pestle until a loose paste is formed. Conversely, pulse all ingredients together in a mixer until a loose paste is formed. Add more oil or vinegar to correct consistency, if needed. The smell in your kitchen at this point will be fantastic, I promise. :)

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To serve:

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Spread thickly over the piece of grilled meat, vegetable, or bread. Eat. Sigh. Eat more.

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Notes: These pictures are kind of awful. I apologize. The yellow beans look oddly like french fries and all of the colors seem muted. I assure you, this dinner tasted 100 times better than the pictures indicate. As my friend J informed me, perhaps I need to work on presentation...

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The avocado dilemma

One avocado. Three people. Do you see the dilemma I was in? I felt like King Solomon -- should I cut the avocado into pieces or leave it whole? Would the avocado (and us) be better served by being sliced into tiny bits or by giving it to one person to enjoy? Did I mention that it was a small avocado to begin with?

Unlike King Solomon, I chose to cut up the baby. Erm, I mean avocado. Cut up the avocado, and then pulverize it. Because it seemed fairer...not that King Solomon had that choice -- pureed baby wouldn't have solved any problems.

Good God, what am I talking about? Forget it, I can't stretch this analogy any further, I've become (more) offensive (than usual).

Bottom line is, I chose to make avocado vinaigrette with our one sad, little avocado instead of slicing it up and giving us each a miserly portion.

Phew, are you still reading? Did I manage to not scare you away with all my talk of babies and pulverizing? Awesome. On to the recipe.

Avocado Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

--1 avocado, flesh scooped out

--2 tablespoons grapefruit vinegar (I buy mine at Trader Joes)

--1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

--1 tablespoon hot sauce (I use the green Tabasco)

--salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) mash all ingredients together in a bowl. Add more vinegar or water until the mixture has a loose dressing type of consistency. (Do recipes get any easier than this?)

To serve:

Use as salad dressing or as sauce to pour over fish. I made a simple heirloom tomato salad -- just roughly chopped tomatoes, diced green onions, and a sprinkle of purple basil -- and served the avocado vinaigrette on the side. It was delicious -- and though it only contained one avocado, we each managed to satisfy our jones for the rich veggie.

Another pic of the tomato salad.

The rest of the meal -- seared tuna over mixed greens and couscous/red quinoa/baby garbanzo bean mix (from, where else? Trader Joes)