A mouthful of sunshine: avocado cocktail

If you're looking for a dish that will make the sun shine (if only for a while) than you need to try this recipe because it's bursting with all the best summer flavours: tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro and fresh lime juice. I can't remember the first time I made this avocado appetizer; it would have been many years ago. But it's been a summer favorite for a long time now because it's light, fresh and you feel like your laying under the warm desert sun of Mexico when eating it.





There's many different ways to put the cocktail together. You could have it as a light lunch served with salad greens. Or make as an appetizer to a Mexican dinner fiesta by cutting the avocado into quarters and serving on a plate, in a bowl or even in a margarita or martini glass. You can't go wrong however you serve it because the combination of flavours and that lingering taste in your mouth is the most impressive thing.

 You could serve this with homemade sangria and black bean tacos with feta and cabbage slaw.

When it comes to buying avocados, like any produce, I find it always pays off to take a little extra time and care in picking the fruit. If you have foresight, it's a good idea to ripen avocados at home. If not, pick one that is slightly soft to the touch and has a darker shell. The brown stem should still be intact at one end. The best test for finding out if the avocado is good is by removing the stem to see if the flesh is green or has started turning brown. The one thing you don't want is one someone else has removed the stem on and decided to leave behind.

Needing a little pick-me-up after a somewhat uninspired week brought me to making this for lunch today. And now with a cup of coffee in hand, I'm starting to feel better. I can't wait for those really warm (and lazy) summer days: for that first trip to the lake or spending the whole day laying out in the backyard reading. But until than, I'll be content with an avocado cocktail.


Avocado Cocktail (serves 4)

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1 ripe tomato, diced
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1-2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
olive oil to drizzle
sea salt

Directions
Mix together the diced tomato, jalapeno, onion and chopped cilantro. Add the lime juice just before serving.

Cut the avocado in half, and then peel and pit. Place avocado halves (or quarters) on a small plate or bowl, and fill the centers with the tomato mixture, allowing the mixture to spill over. Drizzle with olive oil and top with a pinch of good quality sea salt.

A summer must! blueberry sauce

Summer really is never long enough. Too many summers go by where I can count on one hand the number of times I go to the lake. Which is why all of us should take full advantage of summer and the delicious fruits and vegetables in season. And eat more blueberries.

You can freeze them, and actually they freeze easily. Once washed and patted dry, spread them onto a cookie tray in a single layer and put in the freezer for about an hour. Then, scoop them into a freezer bag and put them back in the freezer for future smoothies or fruit crumbles. But today I'm not advocating freezing them. No. We should all be eating, enjoying and getting our fill of them while they last.

This blueberry sauce is fabulous on anything, sweet or savory. You can warm the sauce and serve it up for breakfast on pancakes, french toast or yogurt and granola. You can jazz up a turkey sandwich with a little of this sauce in lieu of cranberry sauce. It's great served along side grilled salmon or pork. Or it's fabulous on anything sweet, you name it. With cheesecake, bite-sized brownies, ice cream...


Cassis Blueberry Sauce
Inspired by Rouxbe's Cassis Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 generous cups of blueberries
1/2 large orange, juiced
1/4 cup Crème de cassis (black current liqueur or concentrate such as Ribena)

Directions
In a medium sauce pan, add water and sugar and bring to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves, add the blueberries, squeeze the juice from the orange, and bring this back to a boil.

Turn down the heat, and let simmer for about 20-25 minutes. This depends on how thick you want your sauce. Add the cassis and stir everything together. Once you reach the consistency you want, turn off the heat.

Keep in mind the sauce will thicken as it cools. Serve warm or at room temperature.