avocados – Simply Delicious: The Cookbook Project

1-31: Crab Cocktail

Jamie Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters August 23, 2020August 23, 2020appetizers, avocados, chili sauce, chilled, cocktail, crab, cubed, dairy-free, diced, dill, dressing, easy, egg-free, emulsion, fairly expensive, flaked, gluten-free, granulated sugar, grated, hors d'oeuvres, horseradish, iceberg lettuce, krab, lettuce, lunch, mushrooms, olive oil, parsley, peeled, red wine vinegar, salads, seafood, shellfish, sliced, spicy, sunflower oil, tomatoes, untested

Feeling a bit of déjà vu? Maybe you’ve seen 1-31: Crab Cocktail before, or maybe you haven’t. I was doing some recent experimentation on the backend of my website, and long story short: I needed to do a rollback to an earlier version and this one got deleted. So I’m reposting/rewriting it again–however, you’ll miss whatever witty remarks I included with the first version.

I remember saying something about this being a good option for a meal instead of an appetizer (since there’s no parties allowed), and that you should picture yourself eating it near the coast with the breeze in your hair, since between COVID and wildfires, I don’t know if we’re ever getting to leave the house again.

2-21: Shrimp Salad

Jamie Martin Group 02: Salads, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 1, 2020July 2, 20201980s, avocados, chilled, chives, chopped, cooked shrimp, crème fraîche, dressing, easy, eggs, fairly expensive, garlic, gluten-free, grated, hard-boiled, horseradish, lemon juice, lettuce, lunch, mayonnaise, minced, peeled, saffron, salad shrimp, salads, seafood, shellfish, shrimp, sliced, sour cream, stiff peaks, summer, untested, whipped, whipping cream

Summer 2020 has been quite the disappointment so far, and still being stuck at home is tough. If you’re looking for something to lift your spirits, 2-21: Shrimp Salad probably isn’t going to do it. However, if you close your eyes while you’re eating it, maybe you can pretend you’re on the beach instead of your couch.

This salad features not one but TWO cream-based dressings, so you know it’s fancy. I recently covered 2-5: Caribbean Seafood Salad which also features a shrimp-based salad. However, that one includes apples, bananas, and asparagus, so this one might be a safer choice.

2-11: Santiago Chicken Salad

Jamie Martin Group 02: Salads, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters July 6, 2019February 25, 2020avocados, black pepper, broiled, chicken, chicken salad, chili powder, corn, cucumbers, dairy-free, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly inexpensive, garlic, gluten-free, lemon juice, lemons, lunch, Mexican, mushrooms, olive oil, oregano, party food, red bell peppers, salads, salt, spicy, untested, white onions, white wine vinegar

Hey there. Haven’t fallen off the face of the planet–just spent the last few months buying a house and moving into said house. Needless to say, things have been busier than normal.

However, I’ve been trying to do a few recipes here and there throughout the process, so there’s content coming at some point. So before you get to see the new (and hopefully VERY permanent) kitchen background, you’ll still get a few from the old apartment. Here’s one of those, 2-11: Santiago Chicken Salad.

In preparation for moving, we were looking for easy recipes that didn’t involve a lot of cooking or prep work. A lot of Simply Delicious recipes tend to be very heavy and calorie-dense–this one was a light option that involved very minimal work.

1-2: Marinated Stuffed Avocado

Jamie Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters March 2, 2019February 19, 2024appetizers, avocados, black pepper, breasts, California, chicken, chopped, cooked chicken, cooked shrimp, cubed, dairy-free, diced, Dijon mustard, easy, fairly inexpensive, gluten-free, lemon juice, marinated, mushrooms, olive oil, parsley, red bell peppers, salad shrimp, salt, shrimp, sliced, smoked ham, stuffed, thighs, untested

Avocados have been a pretty big part of my culinary life up until now, but that’s probably because they’re pretty hard to avoid here in California. However, my experiences are usually closer to some nice fresh guacamole or some avocado toast–1-2: Marinated Stuffed Avocado was relatively new territory for me.

I suppose it’s not unheard of, it’s just not something I think to do. I may try it again, maybe with some different ingredients. Mushrooms are okay, but I much prefer them cooked rather than raw.

8-65: Sizzling Skirt Steaks

Jamie Martin Group 08: Beef, Section 2: Main Courses July 21, 2018July 2, 2020avocados, barbecue, beef, black pepper, broiled, canola oil, Cheddar, cheese, chili powder, chilled, chopped, cumin, diced, dinner, easy, egg-free, fairly inexpensive, fajitas, flank steak, garlic, grilled, guacamole, herbs and spices, lime juice, limes, lunch, marinated, Mexican, minced, onion salt, party food, pico de gallo, red onions, salsa, salt, shredded, skirt steak, sliced, sour cream, Southwestern, steak, tacos, Tex-Mex, tortillas, untested, vegetables, white onions, yellow onions

You may recognize 8-65: Sizzling Skirt Steaks as basically fajitas, one of the standard Mexican restaurant menu features. If you’re looking for something different on taco night, consider this dish. This can even be modified for different types of proteins, or even add in a few more veggies or a meat substitute and go meatless.

Flank or skirt steak is taken from the underside of the cow, and is tougher than most other cuts of meat. Therefore, marinating it (especially with some acid) breaks down some of those fibers and gives you a more tender piece when it’s cooked. Cooking fast/hot works well with this type of cut–low and slow will give you tough and rubbery.

17-18: Golfer’s Rolls

Jamie Martin Group 17: Baked Goods, Section 3: Desserts & Baked Goods March 20, 2017August 31, 2020alfalfa sprouts, all-purpose flour, anise, apples, avocados, baked goods, breads, Brie, butter, cardamom, Cheddar, cheese, Colby Jack, cooked chicken, cream cheese, cucumbers, dark corn syrup, dough, dried herbs, dried spices, egg-free, fairly easy, fennel, frozen, ham, herbs and spices, hummus, inexpensive, kneaded, light corn syrup, lukewarm, lunch, mayonnaise, melted, milk, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, picnic, proofed, Provolone, rolls, rye flour, sandwiches, sausage, sliced, smoked ham, Swiss, toasted, turkey, untested, vegetarian, yeast

If you’re looking for something you could use for making lunches in advance, 17-18: Golfer’s Rolls could be an option. My suggestion? Use a creamier, softer cheese like they do in their picture (Simply Delicious shows Brie) or add some mayonnaise/avocado/hummus at the time of eating because these rolls can get a little dry.

Simply Delicious advocates freezing these rolls after filling them like sandwiches, and then bringing them with you somewhere (like a golf course). While my new co-workers like to play golf a lot, I only ended up bringing these to lunch at my desk. ⛳️

1-14: Avocado Halves with Spicy Shrimp

Adam Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters September 20, 2016October 2, 2020appetizers, avocados, breakfast, chili sauce, chopped, cooked shrimp, crème fraîche, cucumbers, diced, dill, easy, egg-free, fairly expensive, gluten-free, herbs and spices, hors d'oeuvres, lemon juice, lemons, lunch, paprika, parsley, party food, red onions, salad shrimp, seafood, shellfish, shrimp, sliced, slit, snacks, sour cream, sriracha, untested

I don’t make appetizers very often, so I made 1-14: Avocado Halves with Spicy Shrimp for us to eat as a snack while cooking other dishes. ?

I was lacking lettuce at the time, so my dish was served on a platter instead of a bed of crispy lettuce.

3-15: Quick Mexican Soup

Jamie Martin Group 03: Soups, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters September 5, 2016March 14, 2020appetizers, avocados, boiled, carrots, celery, Cheddar, cheese, chili powder, creamy, crema, crushed tomatoes, cumin, dinner, easy, egg-free, gluten-free, ground beef, ground meat, ground pork, guacamole, herbs and spices, inexpensive, lemon juice, lunch, meatballs, Mexican, mirepoix, Monterey Jack, peeled, salsa, salt, simmered, sliced, soups, sour cream, Tex-Mex, tomatoes, tortilla chips, untested, vegetables, white onions, yellow onions

Simply Delicious has a lot of different kinds of recipes–intricate & laborious French-inspired cuisine as well as simple, weeknight-friendly fare. 3-15: Quick Mexican Soup is obviously (given the name) one of the latter types. Of course, I’ve yet to find a recipe that I don’t make some sort of tweak/edit to, and this recipe will be no different. ?

Most Simply Delicious recipes that claim to be Mexican tend to be more “Tex-Mex” than authentically Mexican. I grew up in Los Angeles–real Mexican food is a BIG part of life there. I’m not saying I’m anywhere close to an expert on the subject, but I feel like I’ve got some sense of the cuisine. Simply Delicious has an idea of where they were going with this soup–I’m just going to help it along a bit. ??

9-6: Filled Tacos

Adam Martin Group 09: Ground Meat & Sausage, Section 2: Main Courses August 13, 2016October 20, 2020avocados, black olives, butter, canola oil, Cheddar, cheese, chili powder, diced, dinner, easy, egg-free, filling, green olives, ground beef, ground meat, ground turkey, hot sauce, inexpensive, lettuce, lunch, Mexican, Monterey Jack, party food, salt, shredded, sliced, sour cream, Southwestern, stuffed, taco shells, tacos, Tapatio, Tex-Mex, tomatoes, untested, vegetables

I never expected to find a recipe for filled tacos in the Simply Delicious cookbooks. 9-6: Filled Tacos are an easy and filling dinner. The prep is the longest part. ?

I bought a box of prepared taco shells at the store. Different from the kind shown in the photos provided by Simply Delicious, but they got the job done. ??

1-28: Picnic Tuna Sandwiches

Jamie Martin Group 01: Hot & Cold Appetizers, Section 1: Appetizers & Starters May 15, 2016February 5, 2020appetizers, avocados, black pepper, breads, butter, celery, cheese, chilled, chopped, diced, easy, eggs, hard-boiled, iceberg lettuce, inexpensive, lemon juice, lunch, mayonnaise, paprika, party food, Pepper Jack, pickles, picnic, radishes, red onions, salt, sandwiches, sour cream, tuna, untested, whole wheat bread, yellow mustard

Leave it to Simply Delicious to try to make tuna sandwiches sound fancy. 1-28: Picnic Tuna Sandwiches is a basic method for constructing a sandwich, using tuna fish, presumably for a picnic. It’s really all in the title.

I suppose you have to learn how to make tuna salad somehow–maybe you grow up with parents who don’t like it and you never learn. That’s not what happened in my case (my mother adores tuna salad), but I suppose it’s the case for some people, and so recipes like this must exist. Reminds me of this xkcd comic.

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