Callie: Cinnamon Muffins

Okay, here we go. This was the biggest flop of the evening...but we did promise that we would share the good, the bad, and the ugly! In order to get three avocado recipes into one meal, I figured I needed an avocado-based dessert. Nothing seemed very promising (avocado pie, anyone??), until I discovered a website proclaiming that you could substitute avocado for butter in baking recipes (cakes, cookies, muffins, breads, etc.) I was skeptical at first, but continued researching and found multiple sources that said the same thing. I couldn't bring myself to make avocado cookies, so I decided on a safe alternative: cinnamon streusel muffins. (As I've mentioned before, Jordan loves all things cinnamon).

I followed the recipe exactly...except for the fact that I substituted a pureed avocado for the butter. I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but here are some pictures of the process:

Outcome: To be perfectly honest, I could hardly bring myself to taste one. Despite being gung-ho about the substitution, when it came down to it (and after seeing them being mixed), I found the concept disgusting. And after Jordan learned that there were avocados involved, he did not want to try one, either. Surprisingly, once I finally forced myself to take a bite, I found that they were EXTREMELY sweet (I'm not suggesting that's because of the avocados...either that was part of the recipe, or I was just unprepared for them to be sweet, or maybe I added too much sugar somewhere along the way :). You couldn't taste the avocados, but you knew they were there, and that kind of tainted the experience for me.

So I'm honestly not sure if the muffins actually tasted bad, or that was just my perception. I do know they didn't rise as well as I hoped they would...I'm not sure if that was a mistake on my part, a result of the avocados, or the way they were intended to be. I wouldn't mind trying an avocado-cinnamon muffin in a blind taste test sometime because supposedly, avocados are a healthier alternative to butter. But personally, I'm not planning to try that again for a while!

Callie: Fried Avocados

I was inspired by Jana's easy and delicious Fried Avocados, so I decided to try them out myself (there's no rule against that, right?). When we go to Japanese restaurants, they always serve some sort of fried vegetable with the meal, so I figured I was just continuing on my semi-Japanese theme. It was supposed to be an appetizer, but Jordan came home early and wanted to eat our salads right away, so we ended up frying the avocados together after dinner.

We used the same recipe that Jana recommended. I forgot to buy bread crumbs, so we just used flour instead (as prescribed in the original recipe). However, we did NOT add enough spices to the flour, and our first batch was very bland. A little bit of Tony's sprinkled on top solved that problem for us. We did have trouble getting the flour mixture to stick to the avocado slices...any tips??

Outcome: Decent. Our finished product is not NEARLY as pretty as Jana's was, and I do wish we had been able to capitalize on the crunchy texture of the bread crumbs. We both thought they were okay...the thinner slices tasted better than the thicker ones, and adding spices helped a lot.

And the Follow-Up: We still had vegetable oil ready to go in the skillet, so after we cooked the avocados, we started deep-frying everything in sight. Namely, the rest of the Naan bread (which became Indian fry bread...delicious!), and a refrigerated pack of biscuits (which became little mini-beignets that we've been eating for breakfast).

Callie: California Salad

Jordan and I both love sushi, but given my time frame and lack of resources (not to mention, how terrible I am at rolling sushi), I knew I wouldn't be able to pull it off. But I wanted to use the unique flavor combination of a California roll: avocado, cucumber, and crabmeat. Inspired by this recipe, I decided to make a sushi-like salad. Instead of seaweed, I used a bag of salad greens for my base. Then I added cooked rice, crab meat, avocado, and cucumber (I sliced the vegetables into long strips and added them to the top of the salad.) I served it with flat bread (an Indian flat bread called Naan...yes, it was a cultural shift, but it was tasty! More on the Naan in the next post)

Outcome: This was definitely the most successful dish of the night (and yes, I realize there was very little actual cooking involved here...that's probably why it was a success). We both like salads, and the flavor combination was very good. However, the final product was a lot more salad-y than sushi-y (not a bad thing, just not what I had intended). Jordan suggested we try it again sometime as a rice-based dish, using actual sushi rice, and layer on the seaweed and other toppings.

The Great Avocado Blitz of 2011

Please don't hate me.

While my wonderfully talented and diligent sister has been cooking up her avocado delicacies, I have been...eating out, eating at the church, eating at my in-laws' house, eating meals that don't really qualify as dinner (cereal, anyone?), and just plain skipping meals.

Forgive me. I've been a horrible Iron Chef. But it's Lent, after all, and surely it's not too late to repent!

Tonight, Jordan dropped me off at my mom's house (she's out of town...we're dog-sitting) and then headed to band practice. And that's when it occurred to me: April 1 is tomorrow! No fooling around, I have exactly 6 hours to come up with some recipes worthy of this blog.

First, I texted Jordan and told him to wait and eat dinner with me. Then, I assessed the situation: I had $25 in my wallet, but no car. So I walked to Super 1 Foods, with two requirements: my purchase to be less than $25, and I had to be able to carry it home.

Here's what I bought:

My total came to $22.82. The avocados cost me $8, but I guess beggars can't be choosers. In true Iron Chef fashion, I have a time limit: everything has to be finished by midnight tonight. Wish me luck as I disappear into the kitchen for a while!

I'm aiming for three dishes: an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. Any guesses?

Jana: Fried Avocados

We've got followers (or at least one)!! At this point in the history of Iron Chef Sisters, when a reader tells me I should try out a new recipe, I listen (thanks, Rene'!). So although I was having trouble choosing between Avocado Chicken Stir-Fry and Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes, the decision was made for me. For the fourth and final recipe of March (yay! I made all four in one month!!), Fried Avocados were calling my name. I used this recipe from AllRecipes.com as a starting place, but added a few tips from the reviews and other recipes I found online.

My frying experience is rather limited... I think I can count on one hand the number of times that I have deep-fried food myself. But I was willing to give it a try. I bought two avocados, but decided that one would be plenty as a side dish for Rob and me. Luckily, I thought to get the firmest avocados Kroger had, because even some of those slices turned to mush before they made it to the frying pan.

I used the same process for the crumb coating that I used previously, and I totally recommend it: the two-dish plastic container makes the perfect set-up for the eggs and crumbs. And, I only dirty one dish that way! I decided to up the ante with Panko bread crumbs in addition to the flour coating, but also mixed in some herb seasoning and cumin (can't get enough cumin in this house!).

I probably kept the avocado slices in the frying pan just a few minutes too long, but for this frying-novice, I thought I did pretty well. The result was a wonderful combination of crunchy outside and mushy avocado goodness on the inside. We paired these savory treats up with burgers and corn on the cob... a perfect way to wish that summer comes soon!

Rene', this recipe is totally worth trying. It's quick, it's easy, and it's delicious!!

Jana: Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad

We're not big salad eaters around here. Even Rob who is a healthy eater, usually passes up a salad. But the promise of an avocado salad topping seemed enticing enough for me. I had some Azteca salad shells in the fridge just waiting to be used (if and when we make salads in this house, they are always served in these crispy bowls). And, I have to be honest, I savor the crispy shells more than I enjoy the green stuff inside.

Usually we make a more citrus salad (with apples and walnuts), but the addition of the avocados seemed to make for a more southwestern style tonight. I marinaded the chicken slices with our favorite Kroger-brand tequila lime marinade (although you can get the brand name Lawry's here), and then sprinkled with a little chili powder to add a bit of spice.

On the veggie side, I sliced up some red peppers and fresh cilantro to accompany the fresh spinach leaves. To top it off, I added avocados slices and sprinkled a couple of shakes of lime juice over the top. What a pretty combination of colors. My grandma always taught me that a colorful meal is a healthy one--yay for healthy!

The reviews:
Rob wasn't convinced. I think he was a little put out about it being a "salad." And, he had different expectations of how the avocados should be used. But, he's not an "iron chef sister," so tonight he just had to eat and enjoy.

I have to admit the combination was a bit bland--I probably should have added a hint of cayenne, used a spicier marinade, or maybe mixed some onions with mashed avocados. Let's just say, I wouldn't serve it this way for company. But as I said previously, the avocados and salad shells made it all ok for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed my salad.

Despite the near miss, this meal inspires me for the summer lunches of June and July. Note to self--> A couple of minutes of chopping, a couple of minutes of cooking, and voila... I have enough fixin's for a couple of salads.

 

Jana: Turkey Bacon Avocado Club Sandwiches

Rob's been asking for turkey club sandwiches since he heard that the ingredient of the month is avocado. I'm not a big sandwich eater, so to be honest I wasn't even sure what makes something a club sandwich. That's another good thing about this Iron Chef Sisters project--besides actually cooking some meals, I'm actually having to do a little bit of research. Turns out a club sandwich is just a double-decker sandwich!

At the grocery store this afternoon I picked up a number of sandwich fixin's, and then we spread them all out on the counter and concocted our own. We decided that an avocado spread was needed, rather than just slices, so I mixed some fresh cilantro, onion powder, salt and pepper in with the avocados. Yum! Yum!

Rob made his a traditional double-decker club (well, to be honest, he made two!), while a single layer sandwich was enough for me. We paired it up with a handful of chips (SunChips for him, Tostitos for me), and topped each sandwich slice with a plastic sword toothpick.

It was fun to have Rob in the kitchen with me. We joked that perhaps he should join the Iron Chef Sisters. He definitely is much better than me at plating the food and taking the pictures.

Since there's no real recipe for these sandwiches, here are some pretty pictures...

Jana: Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

So pears were hard... I'm chalking it up to the fact that February is a short month, not to the fact that I lost almost all motivation toward the end of the month.

But March has come in like a lion... so it's on to a new ingredient. I picked up a couple of avocados at the grocery store on Sunday, but didn't really know what I was going to do with them. Thursday night while Rob spun on the bike in the garage, I found a yummy recipe for Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa on the Martha Stewart site. I even surprised myself by having almost all of the ingredients--the only thing I substituted was white onions for red onions.

This meal was quick and yummy. The pepper seasoning was a bit spicy, but the avocado salsa complimented it wonderfully--the tang of the lime juice and avocado tamed it down to manageable spice level. I bought my avocados several days earlier; by Thursday, they were just shy of overripe, making the salsa less chunky than the photo on the website, but still tasted good.

Another high five from our kitchen...

Month 3

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