Tag: red onion

Guacamole

Guacamole is one of my favorite appetizers, and my husband is usually the one who makes it. It’s flavorful, clean, and healthy, but we eat it because we love it. His recipe is simple, but simple is good! He has converted many non-avocado lovers with this recipe.

The trick is to a good guacamole is leave large chunks of avocado; don’t mash them thoroughly and having a perfect balance of lime juice, red onion and salt is essential. If you like it hot, you can certainly add some diced jalapeño, some people also like to add diced tomato which is fine, but we like it just like this!

I posted this recipe a while back, but the photos needed some updating so I figured I’d re-post in time for the Superbowl.

Avocados may be high in fat, but they have the good essential healthy fats which we should consume every day. They are also high in fiber, rich in vitamin B, E and K and have 60 percent more potassium than bananas. I love avocado so much I created an entire Avocado Obsessed Pinterest board^[1] in their honor.

Guacamole is great with baked tortilla chips, lentil chips, baked plantain chips^[2], chicken fajitas^[3], or even on a wrap in place of mayonnaise. Sometimes we even make guacamole turkey burgers, I’ll have to share the recipe when the weather warms up.

Guacamole
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 8 Serving Size: 1/4 cup • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 112 • Fat: 10 g • Protein: 1.4 g • Carb: 6.5 g • Fiber: 4.5 g • Sugar: 0.3 g
Sodium: 5.6 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

3 medium hass avocados, halved
1 lime, juiced
1/3 cup red onion, minced
1 small clove garlic, mashed
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
kosher salt and fresh pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place the pulp from the avocados in a medium bowl and slightly mash with a fork or a potato masher leaving some large chunks. Add lime juice, salt, pepper, cilantro, red onion, garlic and mix thoroughly.

If you are serving this at a later time, a great tip to keep the guacamole from turning brown is by placing the pit in the bowl with the guacamole and cover.

Makes 2 cups.

References

^{^} Avocado Obsessed Pinterest board (pinterest.com)
^{^} baked plantain chips (weight-watchers-points-recipes.blogspot.com)
^{^} chicken fajitas (weight-watchers-points-recipes.blogspot.com)

Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado

Tuna with minced vegetables on a toasted slice of multi-grain bread with avocado and sprouts. A quick and easy, satisfying lunch.

I grew up with avocados in my home way before they became popular here in the States, and squeeze them into my diet every chance I can. Avocados are a regular part of a South American diet, and my mom always served them along side a hearty bowl of hot soup or rice and beans.

Avocados are also good for you, loaded with heart-healthy fats and antioxidants. According to Bodybuilding.com^[1], avocados are listed as one of the 15 Best Fat Burning Foods. I’d love to tell you I buy them for all those reasons, but quite frankly we just love them. In fact, I created an entire Pinterest Board^[2] in it’s honor!

To make the tuna salad quickly, I throw all the vegetables in my chopper and pulse a few times. If I am eating one sandwich, I keep the rest refrigerated for the next day. Easy peasy!

Just under 250 calories and for those of you on Weight Watchers, 6 points plus.

Open Faced Tuna Sandwich with Avocado
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 3 • Serving Size: 1 sandwich • Old Pts: 5 pts • WW Points+: 6 pts
Calories: 247 • Fat: 8 g • Carb: 28 g • Fiber: 6 g • Protein: 18 g • Sugar: 3 g
Sodium: 384.5 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

5 oz can albacore tuna (in water), drained
1/4 cup carrots, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
1 tbsp red onion, minced
1 tbsp Hellman’s Light mayonnaise (or greek yogurt)
1 tsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
3 slices multi-grain bread, toasted
6 thin slices tomato
3 romaine lettuce leaves
1/2 medium haas avocado, thinly sliced
0.5 oz alfalfa sprouts

Directions:

Combine tuna with minced carrots, celery, red onion, mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Place lettuce on toasted bread. Top with tomato, tuna, avocado and alfalfa sprouts.

References

^{^} Bodybuilding.com (bodybuilding.com)
^{^} Pinterest Board (pinterest.com)

Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail

Shrimp cocktail is fine, but when I want something special, I like to have my shrimp ceviche style!

Tossed with avocados, cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro and fresh lime
juice… and sometimes I add a serrano pepper for zing. Served in
martini glasses, it’s the perfect appetizer for any special occasion and
perfect for the Holidays.

I do have a few variations of this, zesty lime shrimp^[1]
can be served as a side dish, but I wanted this to be more of a
cocktail appetizer. You can easily make this ahead, but I would add the
avocados right before serving so they don’t get brown.

If you want to make a larger dish to bring to a party, this Mexican Shrimp Cobb Salad^[2] in a trifle dish is quite impressive and delicious.

Note: For food safety reasons, I used cooked shrimp. While the citrus juice “cooks” the fish, it doesn’t kill the bacteria. This isn’t an issue with raw fish, but it is with shellfish like shrimp it is. If you have access to fresh shrimp off the boat, then raw shrimp would be fine.

Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 9 • Size: 1/2 cup salad + 1/4 cup lettuce • Old Points: 3 pts • Points+: 3 pt
Calories: 100 • Fat: 4 g • Carb: 5 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 11 g • Sugar: 1 g
Sodium: 135 mg (without salt)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 small limes, squeezed
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined*
1 medium hass avocado, diced into chunks
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup diced English cucumber, not peeled
1 serrano pepper, seeds removed and minced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
salt and fresh black pepper to taste
1 lime cut into wedges for serving
2 1/4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

Directions:

In a small bowl combine red onion, lime juice, olive oil, pinch of salt and pepper. Let them marinate at least 5 minutes to mellow the flavor of the onion.

In a large bowl combine shrimp, avocado, tomato, cucumber, serrano pepper. Combine all the ingredients together, add cilantro and gently toss. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Fill nine martini glasses with shredded lettuce. Top each with 1/2 cup shrimp salad and garnish with a sprig of cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime.

Makes 4 1/2 cups.

*Weight after shrimp has been peeled.

References

^{^} zesty lime shrimp (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Mexican Shrimp Cobb Salad (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)