Matt's Guacamole

I enjoyed this guacamole on vacation.  My cousin's fiance Matt made it for us.  Matt is the person I know who is closest to a "foodie."  When dog-sitting, he was able to make use of all my CSA produce.  He routinely grocery shops in the Strip District of Pittsburgh to get the best available items. When I needed to unload some Alton Brown tickets, Matt and Ashley were pumped to go.

The foodie quality that Matt possesses means that he just knows how to make things based on experience.  He could give me the gist of this recipe, but not exact measurements.  In my normal "Kelly-way", I decided I wanted to make this guac but didn't have all the stuff so I improvised.  I will continue to make this...keeping better records.


INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• salt
• jalapeno
• 2 avocados, peeled and seeded
• 2 limes, juiced
• few tablespoons of red onion
• cilantro
• plum tomato, seeded (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mince garlic, add salt until a paste-like substance forms.
2. Add jalapeno. Mix.  Add avocado.  Mix.
3. Add lime juice and some red onion. Mix.  
4. End with cilantro.

Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Source: my cousin-in-law Matt

Chickpea and Chicken Salad

So here is my unsolicited advice to new moms:  Do not limit your child's diet to "kid food."  Ever.  Start them eating a wide variety of fruits and veggies prepared in all different ways right from the time they are developmentally able.  I realize there are exceptions and that it won't work for everyone, necessarily, but with a little bit of luck and certainly persistence, your kids may someday sit down to this salad for dinner and not even bat an eye.  And if you are a mom who loves a good chopped salad, that will be an awesome day.  Because this is an awesome chopped salad.  We didn't even use salad dressing on this one - just some salt and pepper.

INGREDIENTS:

• Olive oil
• 2 heads Romaine lettuce
• 1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
• corn (preferably fresh, but I have used canned)
• colorful peppers (I had small sweet ones on hand when I took the picture, but generally use a bell pepper)
• tomatoes (optional) - I forgot them until after the pics were taken, but did throw them in
• shredded Rotisserie chicken
• avocado
• Feta cheese
• Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS: 

1. Chop and rinse the lettuce.  I prefer my salads chopped, and cut my greens into pieces about an inch or so square.
2. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a pan; add corn and peppers and heat until the peppers are slightly tender.  Alternatively, this salad is made even more awesome if the veggies are grilled.
3. Combine all ingredients, except for avocado in a large bowl; toss to mix well.
4. Top with chopped avocado, salt and pepper.  

Difficulty: easy
Time: 10-15 minutes prep
Source: Salads are one thing I don't need a recipe for!