Creamy Avocado-Yogurt Dressing

I made this with a group of 85 campers this summer Kingswood Oxford's 'Camp KO' during  a culinary demonstration segment.   We used this to top our heatlhy summer lettuce wraps. I love this recipe and have used it to top arugula salad and to serve alongside veggie platters.  Very versatile

Roasted Corn Salad

The key to this salad is in the roasted corn.  Roasting the corn brings out its buttery flavor and great deep yellow color.  

Ingredients:  

• Frozen corn
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 container grape tomatoes
• 2 ripe avocados, large diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and small diced
• 1 lime
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 t red wine vinegar
• Kosher salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray baking sheet with cooking spray.  Spread corn on sheet in one layer. Sprinkle about 1/4 c of olive oil on top of corn and season with kosher salt.  Roast corn until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool completely. 

In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly.  Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.  

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Oh, Mexico.... 

It sounds so simple,  I just got to go 
The sun's so hot,  I forgot to go home 
I guess I'll have to go now. Oh, Mexico.... 

Jimmy Buffet ringing in my ears ever since I got home early this morning.  We had a great get-a-way to Cabo San Lucas and not surprisingly, I was on the lookout for my favorite Mecian food!  Of course, we indulged in a margarita or two...and the Pacifico "cervesas" flowered quite freely.  

I have fallen in love with this soup over the past few years.  For me, it gathers all of the yummy Mexican flavors, without all of the calories (well...depending on how you decide to garnish).  It tends to be a saltier soup, so be sure to taste while preparing to ensure salt flavor is according to your preference.  I adapted this recipe from www.seriouseats.com

Can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock and eliminating the rotisserie chicken.  

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts low sodium canned or homemade chicken stock
• 1 store bough rotisserie chicken.  Shred light and dark meat and reserve carcass
• 1 large onion, split in half, plus 1 large onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 ears of corn, shucked, kernels removed from cobs, milk scraped from empty cobs
• 2 medium garlic cloves, whole, plus 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 3 whole dried ancho chilis, seeds and stems removed, flesh roughly torn into strips
• 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, split in half
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and finely diced (about 1 cup)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 T ground cumin
• 2 t dried oregano
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 c fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 T corn flour (all purpose flour will also work here)

  Garnish:

• Diced avocado
• Sour cream
• Tortilla strips or chips
• Chopped scallions
• Lime wedges

Directions:

Place stock, chicken carcass, split onion, empty corn cobs and scraped corn milk, 2 whole garlic cloves, and chilis in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, topping up with water as necessary. Discard carcass, onion, corn cobs, and garlic cloves.  Meanwhile, adjust rack to 4 inches below broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Place tomatoes cut side-up on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil until charred on top surface and completely softened, about 15 minutes.  Combine roasted tomatoes, stock, and re-hydrated chilis in the bowl of a blender. Blend on high speed until completely smooth and set aside.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onions, poblanos, and corn kernels. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer. Add beans and half of cilantro and stir to combine. Pour tomato-chili stock into the pot through a fine mesh strainer.   Whisk corn flour into soup. Add chicken.  Bring to a simmer, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cook, stirring frequently, until onions and poblanos are totally softened, 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve soup, garnished with avocado, sour cream, fried tortilla strips, scallions, lime wedges, and remaining cilantro.

Guacamole

I have been making this for years but am extra inspired today since I am just back from a short get-a-way to Cabo San Lucas.  In my opinion it is worth the extra steps to make guacamole with all fresh ingredients, as opposed to relying on the spice packets out there.  Serve with tortilla chips or for a healthier snack, serve along side fresh veggies (carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, etc).  

Ingredients:

• 2 avocados, ripe
• 1 shallot, diced
• 1/4 t garlic, minced
• 1 t kosher salt
• 10 grape tomatoes, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced and seeded (**use caution with the jalapeno.  It will make your guacamole super spicy if you do not remove ALL of the seeds.  Make sure to scrape the seeds out and discard.  Your fingers will take on the heat while you clean the jalapeno so be sure to wash them thoroughly before touching anything else- including your eyes!)
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1/2 c fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

In large bowl, crush avocado with a potato masher (or for a more traditional route, use a mortar and pestle if you have one).  Add all remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Serve immediately (NOTE:  this recipe is meant to be made and served immediately.  If you make it too far in advance, the avocado will start to turn a brownish color and the freshness will quickly go away).

Asian Chop Chop Salad

This is SO EASY and is really good day 2 or 3.  Think of it like an "asian coleslaw".  I serve this with chicken satay. 

I made this the other day, simply because I am working so hard on "decreasing carbs" and this sounded like a recipe that fit the bill.  I really didn't follow any one recipe...I kind of made this up as I went.  I found myself shopping in Big Y just picking up any and all "asian style" vegetable with the idea that I am going to chop them all to around the same size (bite size) and keep them raw.  I added some fun ingredients to give this secret salty  crunch and a hint of protein.  NOTE:  for peanut free people, substitute the peanut butter with tahini.

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 head napa cabbage (basically just fill a large bowl about 2/3)
• 1 c shredded/julienne carrots (you can buy them at the grocery store pre-packaged this way, or use your food processor on the "julienne setting"
• 1 c snow peas (remember, these are the flat pods)
• 1 red pepper, sliced in strips
• 1 yellow pepper, sliced in strips
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
• 1/2 c cilantro, chopped
• 1 avocado, medium diced 
• 1 c edamame
• 1 cup scallion, chopped (white and green)
• 2 T toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 c wasabi peas
• 1/2 c toasted soy nuts (find these near the nuts in the produce section)

Dressing:

• 1/2 c rice vinegar
• 1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1 t minced garlic
• 1 t minced ginger
• 1 T peanut butter
• 1 T lime juice
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 t honey
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 c canola or vegetable oil

Directions:

Prepare vegetables, except for avocado, and place them in large bowl (bowl should be large enough to mix the salad thoroughly).  Set aside.  For dressing, whisk all ingredients in bowl except for canola/vegetable oil.  Slowly whisk in the canola oil to emulsify or thicken the dressing (an emersion blender works well here too).  

Pour dressing over vegetables and mix thoroughly (dressing will settle on bottom).  Let sit for 1 hour before serving and mix several times during this hour.  

When preparing to serve, dice avocado (otherwise it will brown).  On each individual serving, add avocado, sprinkle soy nuts, toasted sesame seeds and wasabi peas.