17 August 2009 Zesty Guacamole

Zesty Guacamole

August 17, 2009 By

Avocados are one of my favorite foods and use them in many different dishes, even desserts!

One of my all time favorite dishes to fix with avocados is definitely the mighty guacamole. I use guacamole as a dip with tortilla chips or vegetables and I also use it as a topping for fish, chicken and even burgers.

I like my guacamole chunky but if you prefer a smooth version, just mash some more – it’s a simple thing to do!

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe avocados
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • 2 Tbs. diced red onion
  • 1 Tbs. chopped jalapenos
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbs. lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • salt and pepper

Directions:

Slice avocados in half and remove the pit and the skin.  Mash avocados with a fork until there are medium/small lumps left. Stir in remaining ingredients; mix well. Serve immediately or cover tightly and chill for up to 4 hours. Serve with tortillas.

6 Servings

Filed Under: Mexican, Starters, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
17 August 2009 Creolina’s Crawfish Bisque

Creolina’s Crawfish Bisque

August 17, 2009 By

Crawfish BisqueCreolina’s was a wonderful Cajun restaurant in downtown Fort Lauderdale near my former place of employment. All its food was wonderful, but the crawfish bisque was outstanding.

I was able to get the recipe after it closed and sharing it so you can get addicted to it also.

Note that you could use gulf shrimp if crawfish is unavailable.

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds crawfish
  • 2 ounces olive oil
  • 1 tsp. paprika
  • 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 2 quarts water
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 cups whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup chopped tomato
  • 4 Tbsp. brandy

Directions:

  1. Boil crawfish in a large pot of water. Drain and cool until crawfish can be handled easily. Remove tail and save shells. Refrigerate tail meat.
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add crawfish shells, paprika and cayenne. Sauté 5 minutes. Add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
  3. Strain liquid into another pan. Crush shells to remove remaining liquid and add that liquid. Discard shells.
  4. Return to heat and add onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, cream and tomato. Simmer 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add brandy and crawfish tail meat. Simmer 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Servings: 8

Filed Under: American, Seafood, Soups Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Chunky Tomato-Basil Bisque

July 24, 2009 By

I recreated this comforting Tomato Basil Bisque from the awesome version I used to love at the now-shuttered Dan Marino’s Town Tavern, a popular downtown Fort Lauderdale restaurant.

While it uses canned tomatoes, the vibrant punch of flavor from the fresh basil makes this soup taste like it’s made from farm-fresh tomatoes.

Fun fact: It was published in Taste of Home Magazine!

Tomato Bisque

Tomato Bisque

Ingredients:

  • 6 celery ribs, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 cup butter, cubed
  • 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, coarsely chopped
  • 3 tsp. granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

  1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sauté the celery, onion and red pepper in butter for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
  2. Remove from the heat. Stir in the basil, sugar, salt and pepper; cool slightly.
  3. Transfer half of the soup mixture to a blender. While processing, gradually add cream; process until pureed, about 2 minutes. Return to the pan; heat through (do not boil). If you want a completely smooth bisque, simply puree all the soup in two batches.

Yield: 5 servings.

Filed Under: American, Meal Type, Soups, Vegetables Tagged With: , , , ,
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