Duchess of ForkAvocado

Celebrate with Guacamole!

Duchess of Fork — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 13:23:54 +0000

Nothing says American Independence like a huge bowl of guacamole, right??

Happy Fourth of July weekend (almost)!! I hope you all are having a great week. We’ve got company coming in town tomorrow, and lots of family time planned for the weekend. We’re headed to the Duke’s Grandpa’s house on Saturday for a cookout, and on Sunday we’ll probably watch fireworks on the Duke’s parents’ boat. Fun, fun

I know July 4th is all about America, but I’m sharing a guacamole recipe today. I mean, these days, tacos, fajitas and guacamole are pretty darn Americanized, don’t ya think? Anyhoo, I’ve got a really easy (and not at all traditional) recipe for you that you can take along to your gathering this weekend. Even though it’s not traditionally American, I doubt anyone is going to turn it down.

I could eat avocado in some form or another everyday for the rest of my life and not complain. True story. I’d also have flawless skin and perfect hair.

White Trash Guacamole

Ingredients

4 ripe avocados
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup salsa verde
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
pinch salt and cumin

Instructions

Scoop flesh of avocado into a medium bowl and lightly mash (you still want some chunks).
Stir in sour cream, salsa verde, cilantro and lime juice.
Season with salt and cumin to taste
Serve with tortilla chips

I call this White Trash Guacamole because it is so incredibly un-gourmet that it makes me laugh. It tastes reaaaaaaaaaal good, though!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!

The Duchess

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Forget Me Not

Duchess of Fork — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:06:29 +0000

Hey friends! Sorry it’s been a few days since my last post. What can I say, another crazy busy week. I hope you haven’t forgotten about the dear ole Duchess. I’ve discovered that blogging is rather difficult when you work in a school and can’t access the internet all day. But I digress.

Do you ever crave veggies? I do. I crave veggies all the time. Especially after my last post. If I have oatmeal for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch, all I want for dinner is a big salad! The other night I decided to do southwest hoagies, but I opted to keep mine vegetarian. The combination of crusty bread, melty cheese and flavorful veggies was a home run. Of course I piled the Duke’s sandwich high with chicken, but I was in my own personal version of veggie heaven.

We have sandwiches at least once per week, because they’re so fast. I’m always trying to come up with new and excited ways to prepare the American classic. I made a quick avocado smash for these sandwiches. Paired with melted pepper jack cheese, the hoagies were delicious. I’ll definitely keep this quick fix dinner in my repertoire.

Toasted Veggie Hoagies with Avocado Smash

Ingredients

2 whole wheat hoagie rolls
4 slices pepper jack cheese
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1 bell pepper, sliced thin
1 zucchini, sliced
1 tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. cumin
1 avocado
1 tbsp. light sour cream
1-2 tbsp. green salsa
cumin and garlic salt to taste

Instructions

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. While pan heats up, split hoagie rolls and top each half with a slice of cheese. Toast until cheese is melted and bread is crispy.
Sautee onions and peppers in oil for about 8 minutes, or until softened. Add zucchini, garlic salt, oregano and cumin and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until zucchini are cooked through.
In a small bowl, mash 1/2 of the avocado with a fork. Stir in sour cream and salsa. Season with cumin and garlic salt. Slice the other half and reserve.
Spread desired amount of avocado smash on each piece of bread. Top with sauteed veggies and reserved avocado slices, and assemble sandwiches.

Makes 2 hoagies

Of course, you can use any assortment of veggies for this sandwich. Mushrooms, eggplant and sauteed spinach would also be great, but I just used what I had on hand. Isn’t that the beauty of dinner on the fly?

I’m so happy it’s finally Thursday! I’m subbing in Pre-K today and tomorrow, so I better get going. Hope the little ones are easy on Mrs. Carter. The Duchess

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Hungry ALL Day

Duchess of Fork — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:24:40 +0000

What a day! Who else is excited that tomorrow is Friday?? The Duke and I are having dinner with cute friends of ours tomorrow night. They’re pregnant for the first time and we’re just so excited for them. They just found out they’re having a boy! This will be my first time seeing her since she’s been knocked up, so I’m looking forward to the baby bump.

Today was a pretty good day. I awoke to a serious thunder storm. No joke- I think the lightning and thunder were hovering above our house. I was afraid I’d get shocked by lightning while making coffee.

For breakfast I had another slice of Low Fat Whole Wheat Coffee Cake from ZestyCook.com. I just love this bread! I topped it with some low fat vanilla greek yogurt and some apple chunks.

It really hit the spot after a long night of beauty sleep .

I was really busy and hungry ALL day. I felt like I was eating every two hours. It must be from picking up my cardio regimen and cutting down on calories lately. I forced myself to go to the gym after work, but my workout wasn’t all that great. Despite eating lots of healthy food throughout the day, I just felt weak and shaky. I managed to run about two miles, but I wish I could have done more. I think I needed some protein.

So for dinner, I made a slimmed-down version of Paula Deen’s Southwest Philly Cheese Steaks (sounds really healthy, huh??). I cooked onions and peppers with a tiny bit of cooking spray, salt and oregano. Then I browned two very small sirloins in the same skillet. I used a whole wheat hot dog bun for the Duke’s sandwich and topped it with the steak, peppers and onions, and avocado smash (mashed avocado, 1 tbsp. low fat sour cream, lime juice and garlic salt). I sprinkled it with a bit of cheddar cheese, then popped in under the broiler.

How good does that look?? I ditched the bun for mine (didn’t need the extra carbs) and loaded up on peppers and onions with a few small slices of steak. I swear this picture makes it look like a ton of food! It really wasn’t…it was the perfect portion.

I quickly baked up some sweet potato oven fries for the side. All in all this was a fantastic dinner! Really flavorful, and little fat compared to a true Philly Cheese Steak.

The Duke and I are currently watching Super Bad. Have you seen it? It’s funny, but pretty stupid. That being said, I’m off to lose more brain cells while I continue watching.The Duchess

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Chicken Fajita Pizza with Avocado Cream

Duchess of Fork — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:48:20 +0000

While this dish requires a bit of prep and assembly time, it is really quite easy, and very delicious!

Chicken Fajita Pizza with Avocado Cream

For Pizza

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
cooking spray
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper. sliced
1 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper
1 whole wheat pizza crust
1/2 can refried beans (I used fat free)
1 cup monterray jack cheese

For Avocado Cream

1/2 ripe avocado, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. diced jalapeno
water, as needed

For Assembly (optional)

Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Diced onions
Pickled jalapenos
Avocado Creme

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season chicken strips with salt and pepper.
Heat nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add chicken strips. Cook 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally until no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
In same skillet, sautee onions and peppers until soft. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
To assemble pizza, spread thin layer of beans over pizza crust.
Evenly cover crust with chicken, onions and peppers.
Sprinkle cheese on top. Bake in preheated oven 10-12 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Remove from oven and top with desired fajita toppings.

For Creme:

Mash avocado in a bowl. Stir in next 6 ingredients. (At this point, this would make an excellent dip, but to drizzle over pizza we need to add water.)
Add water, a tsp. at a time, until thin enough to drizzle (make sure it still has a little form).
Fill a pastry bag or ziplock with Creme, and drizzle over pizza.

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