Avocado Pancakes

Avocado...pancakes? Yes. These were definitely an experiment, but one that turned out very well! They were Dave's idea, and a very good one! We made these last summer and paired them with fresh tomatoes from my backyard. Yum.

Pancakes:

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 avocado; cut into chunks
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons butter; melted
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt

In a medium-sized bowl whisk the eggs and set aside.

In a blender puree the milk, avocado, lime zest, and lime juice until smooth. Add the puree to the egg along with the melted butter and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir to combine. 

Heat a griddle to medium-high heat. Spoon 2 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle and smooth it into a round shape. Cook the pancakes for 3-4 minutes, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown.


Topping:

1 pint of cherry tomatoes; quartered
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro; minced
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients above, and serve alongside or on top of pancakes. 

Original recipe here

Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

My sister sent me a link to this recipe and a few others as part of a weekly dinner planning menu for 2 people/vegetarians. It has a bunch of good recipes, so I'd encourage you to check out the link below.

I am not one to cook every day after getting back from work (I probably cook only one weekday per week) so I just chose two of these to try. I also made the Risotto Primavera, which was interesting but didn't have much flavor. I had never made risotto before, and I'm glad I tried it, so now I know that it's a lot of effort! (Not difficult, but a lot of time standing over the stove.)

Anyway, this recipe was really easy and has a lot of my favorite foods. So, win-win!


2 flour tortillas
3 cups of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup black beans
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ avocado, chopped

Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ tsp salt
Pinch of pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using an oven safe, glass bowl, place bowl upside down on a baking sheet. Use hands to mold flour tortilla to bowl and bake for 10 minutes or until tortilla is golden brown. Repeat with second tortilla (or use two bowls).

While tortillas are baking, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to form cilantro lime vinaigrette. Once tortillas are baked, fill shell with beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, pepper, cheese, avocado, and top with vinaigrette.


Original recipe here

Vegan Quinoa and Black Beans

I have made this recipe a few times now, because it's really easy, and has all of my favorite ingredients: quinoa, black beans, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic. It is also great with avocado on top - I've just found it difficult lately to get my avocados ripe at the same time that I'm making this recipe. Another reason this is one of my favorites is because most of the ingredients you can keep on-hand for a while and they tend to be ingredients that I have around for other recipes. Bottom line: this dish is easy and delicious, and perfect for making after a long day at work. 

Original recipe here