Avocado & Turkey in Onion Fire Balls

Here's a new take on a classic campfire meal, and perfect for the Summer grill.  The secret ingredient is California Avocados.  Okay, so avocados aren't so secret.  In fact, this July 4th more than 96 million pounds of avocados will be consumed in the United States. I'll be doing my part, that's for sure.

 

Combining the avocado with ground turkey and seasonings is the big whamo, the secret ammo in these Onion Fire Balls.  The velvety avocado chunks replace any need for more processed ways of adding moisture to ground turkey.  There's no need for mayonnaise or oils.  Adding fresh tarragon, kosher salt and cracked pepper and a dash of soy sauce (or Worcestershire) and the optional minced peppers give the turkey meat robust flavor.  Then, if that's not enough, it gets hugged together by an onion layer and grilled inside a foil wrapper that holds in all the smokey juices.  Wowza - that's just good! It's

also naturally Gluten Free, Grain free and low in the bad fats.

Avocado Replaces Butter in Banana Avocado Coffee Cake

  

 Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee Cake

As if Avocados didn't have enough incredible things about them, they can also replace the fat in some of our favorite baked goods.

Recently, I was invited to visit an Avocado Grove, enjoy some inventive brunch items using Avocados and even experience picking my own early green Hass right off the tree.

 

Jan DeLyser of the California Avocado Commission was our tour guide and the Farm we visited was Dan and Sue Pinkerton's.

Dan is a scientist, a farmer, a story teller and claims that Sue is the one who keeps it all together.  The trees were heavy with beautiful green orbs and buds (Avocado trees bear fruit for one season and buds for the next year.)

        

After touring the farm, we visited Mission Packing Plant in Oxnard. There the Avocados (900lbs per bin) are cooled, washed, sorted, labeled, temperature ripened and sent out to the stores and distribution centers.  

 

It's important to remember we have choices with all foods and we don't have to just take the first thing placed on a bin in front of us.  California Avocados are worth the extra moment it takes to read the label.  The season is long (March thru October), the fruit is consistent (buttery texture and smooth greens) and the standards are high (to match our own.)

At any point in any day, I am more than happy to eat a California Avocado straight out of the shell with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Being inspired by the tour and the education, I wanted to develop a recipe that used California Avocados in baked goods.

This Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee cake became the recipe that was made 2 times in one week.  After my teen son and friends devoured the one I left out to cool, I made another one for my post.

 

Since then, I've made a couple more and found they freeze well, too.  That makes a rushed morning even easier; I just pull out a slice and heat in the toaster oven.  Enjoy and look for California Avocados when you shop.

Recipe:  Avocado Banana Choco-Chip Coffee Cake

1/3 cup Walnuts (chopped)

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/3 cup Choco Chips

1/2 cup (mashed) California Avocado

1/2 cup Honey

1 Egg

1 cup (mashed) ripe Banana

1 tsp. Vanilla

1/3 cup nonfat Yogurt

1 1/2 cup AP Flour

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 tsp. Salt

1)  Combine nuts, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and hold for later.

2)  Cream together the Avocado, Honey, Egg, Banana, Vanilla and Yogurt.

3)  In another bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients (Flour, Baking Powder and Soda, salt), then stir this into the creamed ingredients until blended well.

4)  Oil and dust with flour an 8x8 inch baking pan.  Sprinkle half of the nut mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, then spoon half of the batter on top of that.

5)  Sprinkle the remainder of the nut mixture over the batter and then spoon the remainder of the batter over that.

6)  Bake in a preheated 350F oven 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done.  Cool in the pan for a few minutes.  

 

This can be served in the pan, or inverted onto a plate for cutting, serving or freezing. 

Click here to see more Avocado information and recipes from the California Avocado Commission

CampBlogAway & Spicy Avocado-n-Bacon Frozen Magarita Recipe

I went to Camp and all you got was this

Spicy Avocado Bacon Frozen Margarita recipe.

Why would anyone drive hours from home into the mountains of California and sleep in a cabin to talk about food blogging?

Because it's FUN, people, it's FUN!

Not only was CampBlogAway fun, it was inspiring. Yeah, I know that word can be overused. But when you leave a place with the feeling of energy and renewed focus because of other people's lives, viewpoints or challenges they overcame - what else can you call it?

Joy (Joy the Baker), an extremely successful gal, let us in on her secret to a great Food Blog: Write from the heart, be yourself, give your best and they will come.

Cheryl (5 Second Rule) and Susan (Food Blogga) reminded us that building a "community" and reaching out to others, paying attention to who reads our blogs, and staying accountable for what we put out there will result in a larger community and a better planet.

I call that inspiring.

Not only was CampBlogAway inspiring, it was informative.

I didn't know that Idaho Potatoes are naturally capable of being crisp on the outside and firm, but fluffy on the inside because of the Volcanic minerals in the soil of Idaho.

I didn't know that Fiji Water was helping villages receive water supplies for themselves, as well. I didn't know you could buy eggs (SafeEggs) that are pasteurized, therefore no worries of deadly salmonella.

I didn't know that fondant is so easy, anyone can create beauty. I didn't know that Wente Vineyards have such a light, crisp Chardonnay. I didn't know the inside of a California Avocado (next to the shell) has the most nutrients.I didn't know that Patti (Worth the Whisk and camp captain) was a Virgo (structured, yet nurturing, humorous and inventive). I didn't know that Rachel (LaFujiMama) and Dara (CookinCanuck) could talk and laugh until 2:30 in the morning, just like me.

I call that informative.

CampBlogAway was like being a teenager, away at camp with buddies......except there's wine and better food.
A special thanks to Diane (CreatedBy-Diane) for the buttery Lemon Poppy Seed cookies that got me through my afternoon munchies.

To cap off my adult adventure and use one of the perfect avocados I got from camp, and to send us into Cinco de Mayo - here's a savory, almost healthy (wink, wink) cocktail. SPICY AVOCADO & BACON FROZEN MARGARITA: (serves about 4)

1 ripe Avocado (peeled and chopped)
1/2 Jalapeno (chopped)
6 Slices of Bacon (cooked crisp)
3 oz. Tequila (can use Vodka)
2 oz. Triple Sec or Cointreau
4 oz. Lime Juice or Sour Mix
ICE

1) In a blender, start with a little ice, then add the avocado, jalapeno, 1 slice of the bacon, the Tequila, Triple sec (I used Cointreau) and lime juice. Puree this, then add more ice until it reaches the consistency you like.

2) Taste along the way and increase the lime juice or ice as needed.

3) Separately, grind 3-4 slices of crisp bacon into dust for garnishing the glass edges and use the rest of the bacon pieces as swizzle sticks. This is a savory tasting cocktail, not sweet like the fruity ones. Serve immediately for a creamy texture or hold in refrigerator and stir briskly for a more liquid version.

Avocado, Grapefruit, Shrimp Tartine

Yes, maybe I did put on a couple of pounds over the holidays (aka: Halloween through Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas and New Years.) But, as the proverbial optimist, I choose to see it as an opportunity to Develop Interesting Eating Tendencies (aka: D.I.E.T, shhhhh.)

Avocado, Grapefruit, Shrimp Tartine

Just because I'm not eating my weight in Chocolate Marshmallow Santas for lunch anymore, doesn't mean it can't be exciting, colorful and packed with flavor. This past week I read an interesting article at NaturalFoods.com about water based foods that actually help make us feel full and in some cases actually use more calories to digest than they leave behind...well...on my behind.

Grapefruits are one of those miracle fruits that have tons of Vitamin C, Fiber, Antioxidants, Folic Acid, Potassium AND burn fat. It's like eating a little treadmill (aka: "treadmeal" ). When I was growing up, my grandmother used to serve Grapefruit in the morning with a spiked spoon (aka: a grapefruit spoon, but what's fun about that word when you're a kid.) She may have demolished the full health effects of the fruit by absolutely smothering it in white sugar. It was yummy, and kept my dentist employed.

How can you get more "health-packed" than with a California Avocado (aka: super fruit/heart fruit and hair shiner)? Add these to spinach (aka: Popeye's muscle serum, and gives you 200% of Daily Vitamin K in every cup), and thin slices of Green Tea poached Pacific Shrimp and you have a new mind, body and spirit sitting on a plate (aka: over stating it, but it's healthy and tasty.)
Layer those fat-buster's on a thin slice of toasted home-made bread (aka: Rachael of FujiMama's 1 hour Bread) and I'm expecting the pounds to start disappearing as I chew (aka: Mama's gettin' a brand new dress.)
This Tartine (aka: open faced sandwich) was inspired for my pals in the Lets Lunch Bunch (aka: a twitter group of friends who have a virtual lunch together almost every month). For January we're all posting healthy options to start the New Year. Click on the links below to see an entire week's worth of tasty and healthy lunch choices from the "Let's Lunch" bloggers around the world. Next month we're posting "Lucky" lunch ideas as a way of celebrating the Chinese New Year. (aka: Join us!)
*thanks for enjoying my little joke on the uses of "aka" :D 

RECIPE: Avocado, Grapefruit, Shrimp Tartine

1 ripe California avocado (sliced thin)
1 grapefruit (peeled and slice sections out, then squeeze grapefruit and save juice for vinaigrette)
Grapefruit Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Toasted bread slices (or dense bread such as pumpernickel or rye)
Doz or so, Large shrimp (cooked and sliced) [see recipe for tea poaching below]
1 bunch baby spinach, or arugula leaves Grapefruit Vinaigrette :
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
1 Tbls. red onion (minced)
1 tsp. lime juice
1 Tbls. honey
1/3 cup olive oil salt/pepper

1) Whisk together the grapefruit juice, lime juice, minced red onion, honey and a pinch of salt and pepper.
2) Drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk constantly until a nice thick vinaigrette is reached. 
TEA POACHED SHRIMP:
1 Dozen Uncooked Large Shrimp
2 cups brewed green tea
1 tsp. fresh ginger (minced)1) In a deep sided pan, bring brewed green tea, 1/2 tsp. minced fresh ginger to just-short-of simmer (approx. 188F).
2) Place the uncooked shrimp into the hot tea and keep just below a simmer while poaching for 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and allow to cool before slicing for the tartine.

This can be made ahead of time and chilled in the refrigerator.

TO ASSEMBLE the Tartine:
1) Drizzle a spoonful of the vinaigrette over the toast
2) Place alternating slices of avocado, grapefruit and shrimp over the toast open-faced
3) Garnish with the greens (maybe some crushed walnut) and another drizzle of the Grapefruit Vinaigrette.

Also for a summer twist - take a look at many other California Avocado recipes here: Join Dine and Dish and Cookin’ Canuck for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast, sponsored by the California Avocado Commission. 

To keep the healthy glow going, see these Let's Lunch healthy recipes:

CowGirl Chef - Mandarin Orange and Arugula Salad with Honey Vinaigrette

Cooking In The Fruit Bowl - Spicy Cauliflower
Free Range Cookies - Mesquite Date Muffins
Dreaming of Pots and Pans - Quinoa with Grilled Veggies
The Kitchen Trials-Frittata (almost)
Hot Curries and Cold Beer - Curried Black Eyed Peas, Brown Rice and Beer