Monthly Archives: July 2016

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Grilled Avocado Tacos

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Grilled Avocado Tacos

Summer time is all about grilling.  It’s also all about tacos.  So when Reynolds asked me to help out and create a recipe for their summer BBQ Endless Table on Instagram, I knew this would be perfect.

I had never grilled Avocados before but after a bit of testing, I found that they tasted pretty good. It was best to grill them halved but with the skin still on so they held together nicely.  Technically you could quarter them before grilling if you wanted to grill multiple sides but I don’t think it’s necessary.

Grilled Avocados

If you’re thinking you won’t enjoy a taco without some sort of meat, think again.  Avocados make a great taco base that’s super satisfying and almost meaty; especially when grilled.  I’ve actually been meaning to try a deep fried avocado taco, which I will definitely check off the list soon.

Grilled Avocados

These tacos are topped with a fresh salsa made from grilled corn and black beans along with a spicy kick from jalapeño and some brightness from cilantro and lime. They’re perfect for a fun summer dinner or backyard BBQ.  They also make a great option if you are vegetarian or cooking for one.  It’s one of those meals that makes everybody happy.

Grilled Avocado Tacos

One of the easiest ways to grill corn, especially for a salsa is to just wrap it in foil and throw it on the grill.  Of course you can grill it without the foil for the added char, but you’ll have to keep an eye on it as it will burn quickly.  The foil method is worry free and always give great results.  Same goes for the tortillas. When I make a big batch of tacos, I always just wrap up a bunch in foil and toss it on the grill.  The foil even doubles as a tortilla warmer while everybody is eating.

Grilled Avocado Tacos

I still have one more recipe on the Endless table that I will be sharing this summer, but in the meantime, check out some other amazing recipes on the Endless Table here.  For this recipe, along with all the other Endless Table recipes, Reynolds sent me some foil to utilize.  I often use foil in my cooking so I am happy to incorporate it into my recipes.  All opinions about it are my own.

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Grilled Avocado Tacos

Ingredients

  •  3 large avocados
  •  2 ears fresh corn, shucked
  • 1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely chopped
  • 1 large handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 limes
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Pinch of black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat grill to medium high heat
  2. Brush corn with olive oil and individually wrap with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil. Place on the grill turning frequently for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before handling.
  3. Cut corn off the cob and combine with black beans, jalapeno, cilantro and the juice of 1 lime. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set salsa aside.
  4. Slice avocados in half and remove the seeds but do not remove the skin yet. Squeeze the juice of the remaining lime over the avocados and lightly brush them with olive oil.
  5. Grill flesh side down for 2-3 minutes then remove. Quarter each avocado half and then carefully peel off the skin
  6. Wrap tortillas in foil and place on the grill while the avocados are cooking.
  7. Build tacos by placing avocado slices on tortillas and then top with the corn and black bean salsa.
  8. Serve with your favorite hot sauce and additional lime wedges.
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How to Make Poké Bowls at Home

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How to Make Poké Bowls at Home

I first made poké several years ago after hearing about it on some Food Network show (probably diners, drives in, and dives).  I loved raw tuna so I thought I’d give it a shot.  I think I went with a pretty classic sauce which was essentially a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce, and a bit of rice vinegar.

It was good. Not great, but good.  I enjoyed it but I knew it could be way better.  The tuna was good, the rice was good, the toppings were good, but they didn’t all fit together.

After that experience I forgot about poké and didn’t try to make it again.  That was until I visited my sister in Santa Monica.  I know that Poké is a Hawaiian dish but it seems that Los Angeles is some sort of Poké hub.  People literally line the streets just to wait for a bowl.

So since I was there I had to get a taste of the real deal.  It was a game changer.  My original bowl of Poké didn’t even compare.  I realized that I didn’t pre mix the bowl when I made it.  It doesn’t seem like a big deal but the initial incorporation of ingredients is key.  I watched how the pros did it and took my new knowledge back home.

It was like black and white. My trip to Santa Monica definitely increased my Poké skills and I was happy to see that my poké rivalled the most popular spots in LA.

Think of this recipe as a guide more than anything.  You don’t need to use theses specific toppings, they are just an example of a bowl I made.  I recently made poké for a crowd and set up tons of different toppings.  To give you an idea, I used mango, cucumber, avocado, oranges, grapefruit, kale, red onion, carrots, edamame, crispy fried onions, fried wontons, macadamia nuts, pickled ginger, and pickled shiitake mushrooms.

It doesn’t matter if you use tuna or salmon, just make sure you are using fresh fish.  At the end of the day, the fish is the star of the show. If you don’t start with good ingredients, you won’t get a good result.

It’s all about balance.  I recommend a few different vegetables (or fruits), something crispy, and something pickley in each bowl. Also, as a base, always include lots of green onion and sesame seeds.

Sriracha Ponzu Tuna Poké

Ingredients

For the Sauce

  • ¼ cup Soy Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Orange Juice
  • 2 tablespoons Carrot Juice
  • 1 tablespoons Lemon Juice
  • ½ tablespoons Mirin
  • 1 ½ tablespoons Sriracha
  • ¼ tablespoons Brown Sugar

To build your bowls 

  • 1 lb Yellowfin tuna
  • Chili marinated oranges*
  • Steamed edamame
  • Shaved red onion
  • Green onion
  • Sesame seeds

*To make the chili marinated oranges, peel and dice 1 orange and marinate in 2 tsp chili oil.

Method

  1. To make the sauce, Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Stir well to combine and keep in fridge until ready to build bowls.
  2. To get the bowls ready, cube all the tuna and keep cold until ready to eat.  For a full portion, add about 4 oz tuna to a bowl along with the rest of your desired toppings and sauce.  stir well and serve over steamed rice.
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Fresh Homemade Tomato Gazpacho

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Fresh Homemade Tomato Gazpacho 

Gazpacho has got to be one of the absolute best quick and easy summer recipes.  It is definitely up there as one of my favorite things to eat once the weather warms up.  The key to a good gazpacho is to use fresh ingredients.  Since there is no cooking involved, it’s a great opportunity to let the ingredients shine.

Gazpacho ingredients

The flavors of this particular gazpacho are super bright and refreshing.  Lots of cilantro, fresh lime, red onion, and of course tomato.  I love the freshness of cilantro and lime so I’m pretty generous with it.  Part of why I like this gazpacho so much is because it kind of tastes like a drinkable Pico de Galo, which I have no problem eating by the spoonful anyway.

I need to disclose that KitchenAid was generous enough to provide me with one of their food processors for this recipe but I assure you, all opinions are my own.

Gazpacho

Any food processor or blender would work fine for this recipe, but I do admit, I was pleasantly surprised with the dicing feature on the food processor they sent me.  I was hesitant that it would be able to evenly dice a tomato without turning it into mush but after testing it out, I was a big believer.

Diced Cucumber

I’ve always found dicing large quantities of tomatoes to be a bit of a pain but those days are over.  I see large amounts of Pico in my future.

Diced tomato

You don’t really need to dice anything for this recipe but I like a bit of additional tomato and cucumber for garnish and a bit of added texture.  If you are content without it, feel free to throw all the ingredients in and process away.  It really is that easy.   At the end of the day, it’s just a mixture of blended vegetables, some olive oil, and some tomato juice.

Gazpacho

Feel free to change up the recipe to your liking.  There are so many ways you can easily change it up. You can add more tomato juice to thin it out, take out the jalapeño if you don’t like any heat, or use different varieties of tomatoes.

The flavors of the gazpacho get better and better as it sits in the fridge so I recommend making this the day before you plan to serve it and keep it in the fridge until just before serving.  If you’re tight on time don’t sweat, you can make it day of.  But either way, make sure it is nicely chilled.

As the soup sits in the fridge, it tends to thicken up slightly, so if necessary thin it out with a little bit of tomato juice before serving.  I personally prefer it on the thicker end but that’s totally up to you.

Gazpacho

I usually make gazpacho as a snack or appetizer on a hot day but a larger bowl would definitely make for a satisfying meal.  It goes really well with some grilled shrimp and you can add croutons or serve with bread to make it a bit more filling.

Gazpacho

Tomato Gazpacho 

Makes about 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 vine ripened tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 English cucumbers cucumbers
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 2-3 cups tomato juice
  • Big handful of cilantro
  • 5-6 Basil leaves (optional)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • A few dashes of Tabasco
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

Method

  1. Start by dicing 1 tomato along with 1/2 a cucumber.  Reserve this for garnishing the gazpacho at the end
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, add the rest of the tomatoes and cucumber along with the onion, bell pepper, celery, cilantro, basil, garlic, and garlic.  You will need to roughly cut up the vegetables so they fit into the food processor.  Pulse until uniformly pureed.  Add in the tomato juice, oil, vinegar, lime juice and celery salt.  Pulse again until incorporated and smooth.
  3. Taste the soup and season to preference with salt, pepper, and a Tabasco.
  4. Transfer soup to fridge and chill well before serving.
  5. Garnish each bowl with the reserved cucumber and tomato