Tangy Mango Guacamole

Anyone got a chip? Or a spoon?

Nothing completes a sunny summer day (or any day ending in ‘y’) like a glorious heap of guacamole perched upon a perfectly crunchy tortilla chip. And if you want to make your green dip of the gods even more summery, I suggest adding in some sweet and tart mango chunks.

Mmm, mango. As much as I heart avocados, I may love my mangos even more. And they love me right back. A close relative of the cashew and pistachio (somehow), mangos are not just packed with a buttload of vitamin A and C, they also help prevent cancer, they’re good for fighting pimples, and bad cholesterol and diabetes. Check it.

Added bonus: the mango juices also seem to help keep the guac from turning that lovely, unappetizing shade of brown it tends toward.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe avocados
• 2 small mangos, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
• 2 Tbsps red onion, diced
• A handful of cherry tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Lime  juice, to taste

Squish it!

1. Throw away the pits and scoop the flesh of the avocados into a bowl.
2. Add about a tablespoon of the lime juice, and smash it up until it’s as smooth as you prefer.
3. Carefully stir in your remaining ingredients and taste test. If you like, add in more lime juice.
4. Max on your yummy dip and bask in your culinary victory.

Thanks for taking pictures of, and eating, my dip even though avocados make your tongue itch, Miles Pfefferle. You’re the bestest.

Bon appetit! 

Veggieful Oven-Fried Rice

You want me. You need me.

I love rice, but I don’t have a rice cooker, and making it the old-fashioned way just takes too damn long for this baby of the 80s. I want what I want when I want it, which was 10 seconds ago and why are you so slooooooow?!

Much like this little pony, I want it NOW!

But this dish is lickety split fast. If you have the bouillon and soup mixes on hand, it takes less than 10 minutes to throw together. If you don’t have those at the ready, never fear. Just click the links below for some easy make-it-yourself recipes that will only add about five more minutes to the process. You are welcome.

The other great thing about this meal is that it’s a real refrigerator cleaner. Got some veggies that are getting long in the tooth? Throw ’em in here. An old sock you’ll never find the mate to? Toss it in — broth makes everything delicious!

I found this recipe on Food.com, courtesy of TheDancingCook. As it was practically perfect already, I only made one change: add some yummy tofu.

Veggieful Oven-Fried Rice
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole grain brown rice
• A buttload of chopped vegetables, your pick (mushrooms, carrots, celery, green peppers, onions, frozen peas, frozen corn, broccoli, onions, etc., etc., etc.)
• 1/2 pound tofu, drained, pressed and cut into cubes
• 1 packet or preparation of onion soup mix
• 3 tablespoons vegan chicken bouillon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cups boiling water
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (for a soy free dish)

Oven-Fry it Up

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients in a 2-quart casserole dish.
3. Bake uncovered for one hour.
4. Scarf it all down in one sittingLet it cool and serve.

Bon appétit!

Avocadopalooza: Creamy Pasta and Chocolate Pudding

No butter. No milk. No cream. No kidding.

Avocados are not just for face masks and guacamole, people. In fact, this smoothtastic and B-vitamin-filled Mexican berry (true story, look it up) was the foundation of my delicious dinner and dessert last night: creamy avocado pasta and chocolate pudding. I also had a salad, so you can stop judging my fatty ways right now, judgy.

Mr. Cosby may or may not be eating my pudding in this picture.

Before you get all freaked out and walk away from this blog while shaking your head, know that you can’t taste avocado in the pudding. Not at all. It tastes just like chocolate pudding should taste: glorious. Trust me, Mr. Cosby would approve.

You should also know that the best thing about both of these dishes, outside of the fact that they taste crazy good, is that you can throw them together super-fast and they don’t require much effort beyond turning on a food processor.*

And now…to the deets!

Creamy Avocado Pasta
Serves 2

I adapted this recipe, with only slight changes, from the fabulous Angela of Oh She Glows blog fame. My most serious recommendation: stick to one or two cloves of garlic. The original recipe calls for three cloves but, while I loves me some garlic, three left me with vampire-repelling breath. What if Edward had come calling?!

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup fresh basil (or a few shakes of dried basil, in my case)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 oz of pasta (I used whole wheat linguini)
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Pasta it UP

1. Cook your pasta according to the box instructions.
2. While your pasta is cooking, blend the garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a food processor until you get a smooth mixture (and you don’t see any garlic bits).
3. Add the avocado, basil, and salt to the mix and blend until it’s all one creamy dream.
4. Drain your cooked pasta and transfer it to a large bowl before pouring on the sauce and tossing until it’s fully combined.**
5. Grind some black pepper onto your creation.
6. Devour.

**Angela notes that the avocado causes this dish to not reheat well. But because leftovers are a very important part of my very unimpressive life, I had to develop a fix: set aside some of the sauce and some of the cooked noodles in separate containers and refrigerate both. When you want to nosh on your second helping, heat up the noodles by adding a little water (not too much or your final product will be soupy) to the container and pop it in the microwave for a minute or so, and then toss the pasta with the sauce. Voila!

All you need for puddin’.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Serves 2 (yeah, right)

This miracle of a recipe comes from the awesome team at The Centered Chef in Chicago, where I took a deliciously informative (and BYOB!) Vegan 101 cooking class last week. If you live in the area, I highly recommend signing up for a session. They also offer a vegan baking class that I’m game to try whenever the funds magically appear in my bank account.

More recipes from that experience are on the way. Scout’s Brownie’s honor.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
• ¼ cup agave nectar
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp. sea salt
• ½ Tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)

Pudding Time

1. Dump your avocado bits, agave nectar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract and sea salt (yep, all of it) in a blender or food processor and blend away.
2. Gradually add water until your pudding looks like, well, pudding.
3. Stop the processor and make sure all of the cocoa powder is scraped off the sides and into the mix, and keep mixing until all the avocado bits are broken up.
4. Scrape up every last bit of that chocolatey goodness, and set in the refrigerator for about an hour to chill.
5. Do your best not to eat all of it in one sitting. Good luck!

Bon appetit!

* On a final note, it has come to my attention that I require a new food processor. Mine was a hand-me-down from my grandmother and, while it has lived a fine life, it’s now older than I am and not quite up to snuff. Any recommendations from the peanut gallery on a new appliance that won’t put me in the poor house would be greatly appreciated.