Fresh Summertime Guacamole

Ingredients

8 large avacado

2 diced tomatoes

1 small diced white onion
chopped cilantro (1 bunch)

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

fresh lemon juice

Directions
mix together ingredients in medium dish

Serve with pita, veggie sticks, or even in a wrap,burger, or salad

Keep in the Fridge and serve Cold :)

Did you know? -> The Aztecs believed Avocado to act as an aphrodisiac& the best avacado to use for guacamole is the Hass avocado!

MexiCali Spread

Always a crowd-pleaser

This MexiCali taco dip is always a hit at parties. Great for crowds and excellent spread when you're hosting the game!

Ingredients
1 (18 ounce) package of light cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) tub of sour cream
1/2 package of powdered taco seasoning
2 diced hot house tomatoes

1 cup of diced green peppers

2 diced green onions
2 cups of fresh organic salsa

2 cups of finely shredded old cheddar cheese

sliced black olives (optional)

1/2 cup of jalepeno chopped (optional)

Directions

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and taco seasoning in mixing bowl

Place mixture in serving dish
Top with fresh organic salsa
Cover with shredded cheese and veggies

Serve with warm tortilla chips

Entree Starter or Side: Candy Cane Beat salad with grilled veggies and goats cheese

Entrée, Starter or Side

Candy Cane Beat Salad with grilled veggies and goats cheese

What you will need:

4 medium sized candy cane beats (these guys are brilliantly pretty)

2 handfuls cheery tomatoes

Quarter white/Spanish onion sliced

1 green zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced

1 yellow zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced

Half a red bell pepper, cut into large chunks or slices

½ Bag of baby spinach

4 large medallions of goats cheese (disk shapes)

3 TBS Olive oil

1TBS cayenne pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dressing of choice *(I used maple balsamic dressing)

Directions:

Scrub down beats with vegetable scrubber, or with clean wet rag. Cut off top and bottom of beat salvaging as much of the body as you can to slice. Slice beats in medium thickness disks so they will withstand boiling without falling apart.

Bring water in a soup pot to boil; just enough water to cover beats (using full pot of water just takes longer to boil and risks boiling over, and hello it’s wasteful!!! J) Add 1 TBS olive oil, Cayenne pepper and salt to taste into water. Boil beats until fork slides easily through flesh or el dente, (*I don’t like eating mushy food) drain away water and fill pot with cold water then set aside on counter or in sink so beats don’t continue to cook.

Heat up grill pan, BBQ, Oven or in my case Panini grill for grilling your veggies. Grill (BBQ or Bake; on baking sheet) onion, zucchini, and red bell pepper, adding 2 TBS olive oil so it won’t stick to Panini grill. Grill for aprox. 10 minutes until Zucchini are almost falling apart.

Arrange clean, dry baby spinach leaves in two pasta bowls or on plates, cut cherry tomatoes in half’s and arrange evenly on top of spinach. Arrange goats cheese medallions (as a whole disks or crumble), then top with warm grilled veggies, and finish with drained cooled beats slices. Finish with the dressing of your choice and pepper to taste.

Something so magical about these guys, like Dr. Seuss, or Willy Wanka invented them.

Layer warm veggies on top of your goats cheese; it melts and blankets your spinach to perfection!

YUM!!!!!

Appetizer or Side: Vegan cream cheese stuffed tomatoes

This recipe come from Canadian Living Magazine (Photo Credit: Canadian Living magazine)


Appetizer or Side

Vegan Cream Cheese stuffed tomatoes


Prep time: 5 minutes
cook time: 20-25
Skill level: Beginner to Intermediate 

What you will need
2 boxes cheery tomatoes

Vegan Cream Cheese full container

Spinach 2 cups frozen chopped

Roasted garlic 2-3 cloves whole (or sautéed in pan for 15 minutes)
1/2 tbs nutmeg 

Salt & pep to taste

Cayenne pepper to taste

Basil leaves to garnish

6 Tbs olive oil (2 in pan, 4 in blender/processor)

Directions:

Heat thick-bottomed pan or soup pot over medium heat.

Add with olive oil right away (it will spit at you if you add it to a hot pan)

Add garlic into pan sauté for 15 minutes or until soft.

Add in spinach, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

Fry for 6 minutes keeping things moving in the pan.

Prep food processor or blender

By drizzling 4 TBS olive oil along inside

Add whole container vegan cream cheese

Prep cherry tomatoes

Cut off ¼ of top off cheery tomato and scoop out insides

Tip: You can stand up in mini muffin tin to stuff or slice thin tip off bottom without piercing into hallowed out inside so the bottom is flat and they can stand up on a baking sheet

Take pan/pot off heat and add hot contents directly on top of cream cheese in food processor.

Blend or mix for 3 minutes pulsing button until garlic cloves are chopped and blended into mixture.

Spoon mixture into tomatoes or use pastry or sandwich bag to pipe mixture in.

Garnish with single basil leave and serve right away.

Note: this recipe can be prepared in advance and chilled in fridge for up to 2 days before dinner party or kept in the fridge for easy snack.