Spicy Avocado Chicken

My friend Ricki shared this recipe on Facebook about 5 years ago.  I tried it once before and really liked it, and then didn't make it again until tonight.  Why did I wait so long?  This stuff is so good!  It's like that other famous recipe I got from Ricki - Spicy Slaw.  Absolutely yummy!

Spicy Avocado Chicken
adapted from Ricki's recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 large ripe avocados
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup medium/hot Salsa (Pace Picante or equivalent favorite)
• 1 cup water
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

1.  Thoroughly mash the avocados into a paste, chop all vegetables, cut chicken into strips, cubes, or desired size, and measure out salsa.
2.  Put water and butter into a large skillet and set on Medium heat.  When butter starts to melt, add the vegetables, chicken, avocado, salsa and seasonings to the skillet, and cover.
3. Stir after 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick, 25 to 30 minutes. Add more water, if needed, for desired sauce consistency.
4. Add salt to taste, and serve.

Serves 4

Ricki's recipe called for chopped mushrooms and onion powder, but I didn't have any mushrooms, and my onion powder is hard as a rock.  So I just used more onion than in his recipe and added some chopped garlic.  I did not add any additional salt at the end because it did not need it, and we ate it with tortilla chips which have salt of their own.

Ingredients added to the skillet

Even though the word 'Spicy' is in the name of this recipe, it really isn't spicy - just flavorful.  My husband doesn't like hot foods, but he really like this.

add the mashed avocados and seasonings

Thanks for sharing, Ricki!  This is a really easy and flavorful recipe, and I really must make it more often.

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas Tacos

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and so far I've made it twice.  In the last couple of weeks.  It's that good!

Not only is it good, but it's so easy to make.  All you do is mix spices together - chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, etc. - and rub them on a flank steak.  Place the steak in the bottom of your crock pot, put chopped onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno on top, and cook it for 8 hours.  After 8 hours, you take the steak out, shred it with two forks, and return it to the crockpot.  You can either serve it then or keep it warm in the crock pot until you're ready to eat.  Serve with corn tortillas, salsa, avocado, cilantro and lime. 

Crock Pot Beef Carnitas
from eat, live, run

Ingredients

• 2 lbs flank steak
• spice rub: 
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Directions:

1. Mix together all spices in a small bowl.  Place steak in the bottom of your crock pot and rub the spices all over your flank steak.
2. Cover the steak with the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno pepper. Turn heat on LOW and cook for 8 hours.
3. After 8 hours, remove meat from crock pot, shred with two forks, and return to crock pot. You can either serve as is or keep the shredded meat warm in the crock pot until you're ready to eat.
4. To serve, heat your corn tortillas in a skillet on the stove. Spoon some carnitas on a tortilla then top with salsa, avocado, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

You can prepare this the day before - rub the spices on the steak, chop the onion and peppers, and throw everything into the crock pot.  Then it's easy to just pull it out of the fridge the next morning and start it cooking.  Another option is to prepare everything, let it cook overnight, and then it's ready to shred when you get up in the morning.  Also, your house will smell amazing when you get up.

The meat is seasoned so nicely and is even good cold, but the leftovers also heat up nicely.  I put enough meat for two tacos into one half of a large skillet and two corn tortillas in the other side and heat on medium heat until the meat is warmed through and the tortillas are warm.

The first time I made this, I followed the recipe, using 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, and 1 jalapeno.  The second time I just pulled some diced green peppers out of the fridge and didn't worry about the red one.  I don't even know how many peppers I had diced - just put the onion, frozen green peppers, several pieces of frozen hot peppers, and a clove of garlic into my food processor and chopped them up good.  It turned out really good. 

Israeli Cucumber and Tomato Salad

I found this recipe in the Food section of my newspaper.  I'm not sure why this is called Israeli salad - they probably told me in the article that the recipe came with, but I didn't read that.  What I do know is that I knew I had to try it the minute I read the recipe.  So many yummy flavors all in one salad!  So far I've made it twice.

Israeli Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, cut into small dice
• 4 to 5 Roma tomatoes, cut into small dice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, diced
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Place cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro and avocado in a medium bowl.  Add lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.  Toss gently to combine.

To prepare ahead: You can prepare the salad early in the day.  cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Of course, it's salad - so feel free to vary the ingredients to suit your taste - more cucumber, more tomato - more avocado! 

So yummy.

An Avocado a Day

A friend of mine just posted this on Facebook. 

She said she wishes she could grow avocados in her backyard.  Wouldn't that be nice?  I wish I could grow them in my backyard, too - now that I know how much I love them! (and, of course, how healthy they are)

There  was a time when I really did have avocados growing in my backyard.  And then?  I never ate a single one!  Imagine!  They fell off the tree and either went to waste or were eaten by the dogs.  I guess at least we had healthy dogs, right?  I did eat the lemons from the lemon tree.

Today I eat avocados as often as I can.  Today I had avocado and sprouts on my tuna salad sandwich.  It was so good!  I just wish avocados didn't cost so much in the store.  But then again, considering all the health benefits, I suppose they aren't so expensive after all...