Filet of Sole with Mango Avocado Salsa

In our last post, we featured sea scallops with mango avocado salsa. Here we offer another dinner suggestion using the salsa.  Fresh filet of sole, served on lettuce, topped with salsa, and with a side dish of couscous.  Diced peppers and green onions added to the rice would be a nice addition.

Calories for 5 ounces filet of sole, 1/3 cup salsa, 1/2 cup cooked couscous (or other pasta such as orzo) offers 475 calories and over 100% of your RDA for vitamin B-12 and selenium.  Two important roles for selenium are to offer antioxidant protection and support healthy thyroid function.

- Kim Fielding

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops with Mango Avocado Salsa

Sea scallops are a rare treat for us.  They are somewhat expensive but each one weighs about 2 ounces so you only need to eat two or three for a main course.  Serve one scallop per person as a first course.

Mangos are everywhere in the stores right now and are one of our favorite additions to salsa.  They pair nicely with avocados and are a wonderful compliment to seafood or chicken.  This salsa is so sweet and good, I had to shoo my sons away from eating it all with spoons before dinner!

Serves:  2

Prep and cook time:  about 20 minutes

4 large sea scallops, patted dry with paper towel

1 Tblsp. butter

1 Tblsp. vegetable oil

Salt and pepper

Mango Salsa:

1 mango, cut into cubes

1 avocado, cut into cubes

2 Tblsp. coconut milk (I used "Lite")

squeeze of half of a lime

dash of hot sauce or red pepper flakes, optional

Prepare the mango salsa.

The pit of a mango is fairly flat.  Using a sharp knife, slice the mango
along the pit to create two halves and the center.  Cut around the edge of the pit
and cube the rest of the fruit to get every last bite.

Score each half into squares.

Invert the mango and slice off all the cut pieces from the peel.

Mango, avocado, coconut milk, lime and optional hot spices are
mixed together and set aside.

Heat the butter and oil together in a skillet and saute scallops about 2-3 minutes per side.  They should have a light golden color.  The texture will be soft and creamy on the inside.  

Lightly season with salt and pepper before adding to the skillet.

For a nice presentation, scallops were placed on baby lettuces with a side of limes.
Top with salsa and serve.  

A nice side dish for this main course might include rice salad with chopped vegetables, steamed broccoli, or mixed grilled summer squash.

Calories for the scallops and about 1/3 cup of salsa comes to approximately 540 calories.  1/2 cup steamed rice is about 100 calories.  This main course , including steamed rice, offers over 5 grams fiber, and over half your daily requirement for protein, vitamin B-12, selenium, phosphorus, and manganese.  Phosphorus is an essential nutrient and is found in every cell in our bodies.  Most of it is stored in our bones and supports bone strength and bone and calcium metabolism.  Phosphorus is a major component in ATP which provides energy to our cells.  Thankfully, phosphorus is found in most foods and dietary deficiencies are virtually non-existent.

- Kim Fielding

Roast Potatoes with Avocado Garlic Sauce

Potatoes Are Us these days.  They can be quite dull after a while unless you take them to task and explore completely new ways to prepare them.  This particular potato recipe was adapted from another favourite blog "Oh She Glows" written by Angela Liddon. Love this site.  She is a genius and her blog is easy to read and her recipes are delicious.  

Angela Liddon's version uses new potatoes and smashes them. Super fun.  I was looking for a slightly more classical look and decided to simply slice russet potatoes and top them with her special sauce. Avocado Aioli Sauce.

Oh my.

The men in my family loved this.

Aioli is basically a Provence-style mayonnaise traditionally made with olive oil, garlic, and seasonings.  It includes egg yolks and is prepared just like our current mayonnaise that we buy in our stores.  The recipe below suggests adding Veganaise which doesn't contain eggs for those who are vegan.  Make sure the sauce is used up the day you prepare it because otherwise it will turn brown.

Slice the peeled potatoes into about 1/4 - 1/3 -inch slices.

Toss with olive oil.  The potatoes were roasted and the slices turned
 over half-way through cooking time to get a nice brown on both sides.

Serves:  6

Cook and prep time:  about an hour

3 large russet potatoes, peeled

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Fresh chopped parsley

Avocado "Aioli" Sauce:

Two garlic cloves, smashed

One large or two small ripe avocados

1/4 cup mayonnaise (Veganaise is preferred)

1/2 fresh lemon, juiced

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice potatoes and arrange them in a roasting pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and turn slices over so they are coated.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 15 minutes.  Turn the slices over to finish cooking.  They should be crispy on the outside and slightly puffed.

While the potatoes are cooking, whir together the aioli ingredients in a blender.  Start with the garlic then add the rest of the ingredients. You will want to make the sauce as creamy as possible.

One of many presentation ideas.  A great side-dish for any meal.

Plate the roasted potatoes and spoon the avocado aioli over.  Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over. Voila!

http://ohsheglows.com/2014/10/15/crispy-smashed-potatoes-with-avocado-garlic-aioli/



- Kim Fielding

Guaco Garbanzo Salad

Have you ever ordered a chicken quesadilla with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa?  This is like that only without the cheese, tortillas, sour cream, and chicken.  My favorite part about a quesadilla has always been the condiments.

One of the great things about blogging food is that we meet really great people along the way who introduce us to even more foodies, and they are interested in even more different things than we ever conceived.  This recipe is the product of those associations.

We are blessed with an abundant garden.  For this salad we used kales, tomatoes, and basil from our plot.   A can of garbanzos, a couple of avocados, and lemons, completed the required ingredients for this recipe.  The inspiration for this is from http://www.glutenfreecat.com.  Check out the website if you are gluten-sensitive. 

Prep time:  15 minutes

Serves: 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side dish

2 tablespoons minced scallions or red onion

1 clove garlic

1/2 lemon, juiced

pinch of salt

handful of fresh basil or cilantro

2 avocados

1 stalk celery, minced

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

many handfuls of greens, your choice

1 cucumber, cut using a peeler or sliced into matchsticks

1 large carrot, cut using a peeler or sliced into matchsticks

several tomatoes, bite-size pieces

vinaigrette dressing or balsamic vinegar

In a blender or processor, mix together onion, garlic, lemon, salt, and 1/2 handful herb of choice.  Add one whole avocado and mix until almost smooth.

Finely chop the second avocado and add it to a bowl along with the ingredients from the blender.  Add in celery and garbanzos and gently stir to combine.

On a platter or wide bowl, place greens, cucumber, carrot, and tomatoes.  Drizzle with vinaigrette or just with balsamic vinegar as the original recipe suggests.

Our greens consisted of fresh lacinto kale, cucumber, and carrots

I like to use a mix of tomatoes and here we have cherry, grape, and roma tomatoes.

Top with avocado-garbanzo mixture and sprinkle with more herbs if desired.

Dive in!

Each serving, assuming four per recipe, offers less than 350 calories, 12 grams fiber (!), almost 9 g protein, your full compliment of most vitamins, and several minerals.  Potassium in this recipe reaches to 85% of your daily allowance.  Zinc and vitamin E are close behind.  Wow. 

- Kim Fielding

Quinoa Salad with Dried Apricots, Toasted Almonds and Avocado

This salad was a hit with everyone in the family.

Reading through Cook Fresh by Fine Cooking magazine (Spring 2012), I came across this quinoa salad which, for last minute prep, contained ingredients that I had on hand.  The original recipe featured a cumin-lemon vinaigrette, but the kids didn't like it so much.  Instead, we are using a relatively simple lemony vinaigrette.  Of course, you can always adjust recipes to fit your particular taste.

Serves:  5            Cook and prep time:  20 minutes

1 cup red or white quinoa, rinsed
Salt
2 scallions, sliced
1 firm-ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
A hint of fresh minced garlic, optional

Any variety of quinoa will do.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.  Cook the quinoa until tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Drain any extra water from the quinoa and turn it out on a baking sheet to cool.

Prepare the scallions, avocado, apricots, and almond slivers and set aside.

Zest the peel from the lemon and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice.  Add to a bowl.  Whisk in the oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Garlic may be added at the point, and it is good with or without.  Just not too much.

In a large bowl, stir together the cooled quinoa, scallions, avocado, apricots, almond slivers, and dressing.  Mix together thoroughly.  Adjust seasoning if needed.

This salad offers just less than 200 calories per serving as well as almost 4 grams fiber.

- Kim Fielding

Avocado Ole

Avocados and guacamole made with mashed avocado with lemon, salt and pepper.

The avocado is a fruit native to the warm climates of Mexico, Guam, Central and South America. It is unable to tolerate frost, so it is cultivated in tropical or sub-tropical climates. Although avocados are available year-round, they are most abundant in California in the spring and summer months and from Florida in the fall months.

A medium avocado has a high-fat content of around 80%; however, most of it is monounsaturated fat such as the health-promoting oleic acid. They contain more than 1-1/2 times the potassium found in bananas and are rich in the E, K, and B vitamins. Amazingly, they are the biggest fiber providers of any fruit with ¾ being insoluble and ¼ being soluble fiber. When the Alpha Plan recommends ¼ of an avocado in salads or on a sandwich, that serving includes approximately 2-1/2 grams dietary fat and only 70 calories.

Guacamole is probably one of the most well-known avocado treats, but it is also enjoyed chopped raw in salsas, sliced raw on sandwiches and in salads, and on top of soups and stews. It can be blended into a salad dressing and spread onto sandwich bread and used instead of mayonnaise.  If you don't use your entire avocado right away, seal it tightly with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator, preferably with the large pit in it.  Brown spots can be cut out or around and the rest of the avocado should still be good.  Enjoy the following recipe with your chicken or fish, or however you like it!

Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa
The tomatillos and avocado provide a Latin American twist to your meals.

serves:  6                    prep time: 15 minutes

10 medium tomatillos
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 large shallot (can substitute scallions or other onion), finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 firm-ripe California avocado
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
Salt and pepper

Heat a pot of water seasoned with salt to boiling. Discard the husks from the tomatillos and rinse them under warm water to remove stickiness. Cook them whole in the boiling, salted water for 8 minutes or until they feel tender when poked with a knife.  While they are cooking, place cilantro, shallot, and garlic in a large bowl.  Cool and then chop tomatillos and add to cilantro mixture, tossing to combine. The tomatillos will exude a lot of juice. Add that to the bowl as well.

Peel and pit avocado and cut into 3/4-inch pieces. Add avocado, lime juice, salt and pepper to tomatillo mixture, gently tossing until just combined.  Adjust seasoning if needed.  Salsa may be made 4 hours ahead and chilled, its surface covered with plastic wrap. This recipe makes about 1-1/2 cups, or six servings as a topping for your cooked lean meats.

Calories: 70 per ¼ cup serving

Menu Suggestion: (per person less than 500 calories)

1 4-oz. piece of white fish such as baked cod, or
3 oz. chicken breast topped with
¼ cup Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa

1 cup sliced and sauteed zucchini with
cumin and oregano

½ cup each roasted or grilled red pepper and red onion

½ cup black beans

Light coffee sprinkled with cinnamon or
cinnamon herbal tea

- Kim Fielding