Pineapple Boat with Salsa and Guacamole
Warm weather calls for fruit-centred salsa! I'm a huge fan of chips and dip, as are most people. It's a snack that meets all my expectations for a salty craving while providing something refreshing and spicy. I'm also a fan of the more imaginative combinations. Salsa is, however, always in danger of being presented pretty bland; you want a good selection of natural ingredients that don't need a lot of seasoning.
So in this quick and easy, the pineapple is combined and balanced with red onion, green and red bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and cucumber.
One important tip if you are hosting and want to keep the pineapple head for aesthetics, as I did, would give with that is to make sure you drain as much of the juice as possible so that it doesn't start to seep when you serve. I would also suggest serving immediately, then transferring to a container and storing in the fridge for no more than 1-2 days.
For the guacamole you want it to be just as tasty, I recommend this recipe inspired by Chipotle; you can't go wrong!
Trouble handling avocadoes? There is no need for that! I never regretted getting this tool available on Amazon for cheap. It makes the slicing and decoring so much easier. The tool makes for a cute kitchen gift as well.
Ingredients
Salsa:
1/2 a pineapple, diced
1/2 a Roma tomato, diced
1/4 of a large cucumber, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 red onion, diced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely diced
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper0
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
Guacamole, you can follow this recipe for it.
1 ripe Hass avocado
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/8 cup red onion , finely chopped
1/4 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix all the cleaned and diced ingredients together, drain and add to the pineapple or serving bowl.
Prepare your guacamole according to the instructions in this recipe.
Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chips.
Grilled Avocado and Papaya Salad
What happens when you bring your favourite fruits together? Absolute glory! It's not a secret that I'm a massive fan of both papaya (or pawpaw rather) and avocado. I love the taste and the textures. Both are versatile and plentiful in Zimbabwe, where I grew up. Still, although eating them raw is considered the healthiest way, I don't see what's wrong with throwing them on the grill for a little bit! You get those gorgeous marks and depth of the flavour while still maintaining some of the fruit's integrity.
As the weather warms, I also highly recommend getting a grill pan. You won't always be able to go outside but will want that effect. You can get the one I use on Amazon; here is the link. I’m a big believer in stocking up for the season by the way, get your kitchen essentials ready).
I'm happy with it so far; it's worth the investment!
As far as the treatment of each of these fruits, I pretty much did the same thing. Tossed in olive oil, herbs, and chilli flakes, the papaya's main differences were the nutmeg, the avocado the balsamic.
Note that when you're handling these, especially the avocado, careful not to break your slices! Use a small pair of kitchen tweezers or tongs to help.
I recommend this colourful, simple salad mix. You can get pretty creative with the additional elements. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 whole avocado, sliced thickly
1/2 pawpaw/papaya, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cracked pepper
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon truffle oil
1/4 cup sour cream or burrata
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Mint leaves
Fresh parsley
Goat cheese
Parmesan shavings
Instructions
In one medium-sized bowl, toss the avocado with 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon cracked pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
In another bowl, toss the the diced pawpaw in 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon cracked pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
Spray your grill pan and it over medium-high heat. Place the fruits on opposite sides of the pan to avoid muddling flavors, and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Keep a close eye, you want the flavours to seep in and to get the grill marks and char but don’t want to burn anything. if you need to add a bit more oil to finish off you can do so.
Once you are ready to serve, drizzle with the truffle oil, and season with extra black pepper, chili flakes, serving the the sour cream, and garnish with mint leaves and fresh parsley. This salad can serve two as a light start, or you can double the recipe quantities for more.
Strawberry and Shortbread Parfait
This recipe is part of a six course brunch.
One of the simplest ways you can make your brunch table fancy is by serving yoghurt parfaits! They look so elegant and fresh and will seamlessly match the flowers and decor.
Strawberries are especially fitting for springtime brunch, I think. Most people are huge fans of strawberries and cream, and I also like strawberry shortcake AND shortbread biscuits in general. (Note that shortcake and shortbread are two different things, but similar enough to make a connection!). I decided to combine the strawberries with the shortbread and a sprinkle of chocolate Easter eggs to make things festive.
Using strawberry-flavoured yoghurt will help enhance the flavour, so I recommend that. For texture through the crunch, you can use toasted muesli or granola in addition to the rich, buttery shortbread.
Eat this for brunch or as a snack. The great thing about parfaits is that they are super customizable, so go at it!
Ingredients
2 cartons strawberry yoghurt (I used dairy-free from Silk)
1/2 cup strawberries, chopped into small pieces
4 shortbread biscuits (2 per serving, you can use more)
1/2 cup muesli or granola (1/4 cup per serving)
Whipped cream (optional)
Cadbury mini chocolate eggs (optional)
Instructions
Toast the muesli on a baking tray on broil (500F) for about 3-4 minutes; keep an eye on it! Set aside.
Prepare your mise en place - make sure your strawberries are cleaned, dried, and chopped. Crush your shortbread biscuits with a kitchen hammer - they can be as fine or as roughly chopped as you prefer.
In a parfait glass or appropriate glassware, start assembling your parfait. Layer the strawberries, followed by the toasted muesli, yoghurt, shortbread, and continue in that order until you get to the top.
Top with whipped cream, chocolate eggs, and extra strawberries, enjoy! This recipe serves two, so you can double up the quantities for more servings.
Overnight Oats Mango Parfait
A good breakfast or pre-workout snack always makes me feel better in the morning. Typically I eat my oats the traditional way, cooked over the stovetop with milk, water, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Overnight oats, however, are an even quicker way to have oats ready to eat when pressed for time or hurry. There is no need to warm the oats up either, but you can if you want to! The point of leaving them overnight is for them to absorb the milk and flavour. You will get a nice, smooth consistency similar to porridge.
I used old-fashioned rolled oats as that what I had in the pantry, but you'll want these over instant oats if possible, so the overnight oats maintain their integrity and don't end up soggy from the milk.
I took this a step further by transferring the oats to another container and building a parfait (which is a popular way to eat them) with more fruit and the same yoghurt mixed in before, but you can eat them as they are too!
Ingredients
2/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup fresh mango, chopped + extra for topping
2/3 cup almond milk (or milk of your choosing)
1 cup mango peach almond yogurt (I used two containers from Silk)
2 teaspoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon chia seeds
Instructions
Directly in a mason jar, add all the ingredients (but use only 1/2 the yoghurt) and mix until evenly distributed. Place the jar on the fridge overnight. (This serving is for a single person - or two! - So double the recipe accordingly and use multiple jars).
The next morning, get a second jar for each serving when you are ready to build your parfait. Layer the fresh mango, the remaining yoghurt, scooping the oats from the first jar to the second. Finally, top with whipped cream and diced mango. Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Toast
Swap out bread with sweet potato for some healthier toast! 🍌🥑
Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants which is one of the reasons they are considered a super food! 🍠
Peanut Butter and Jelly Toast
How is it that the combination of peanut butter and jelly is so good...💭 all under 300 calories at 285 too.
Recipe: Crunchy peanut butter, organic blueberry jam, and high fiber bread. Side of 1/2 banana for comfort 🍌🍌🍌
Green Smoothie and Avocado Toast
Excerpt…..
💚🐸This is how to start the day on #toasttuesday! But there is nothing stopping you from having this for dinner if you had your other proteins during the course of the day!
Recipe: I made a kale 1/4 cup spinach (frozen) 2 cups smoothie with 1 banana and flaxseed added. The 1/2 of an avocado toast was simply mashed with chili flakes pepper and course salt. Both greens had a dash of lemon added in.