My Favorite Guacamole

I'm super excited to share my favorite guacamole recipe ever.  That is all.

(The above picture shows this served in a Small Bamboo Bowl on the Bamboo Cracker Tray with sweet potato chips I made using the Ultimate Mandoline and the Microwave Chip Maker.  That method will be in another post sometime.)

My Favorite Guacamole

chefjennylyn.com

2 ripe avocados, mashed
4 small tomatoes or a handful of grape tomatoes, diced
1/2 of 1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. hot sauce
Salt, to taste

So the directions here are pretty simple.  Mix everything together, and enjoy.

The best tip I can ever give anyone interested in cooking at home more often is to get everything out at the same time.  It's frustrating to work through a recipe and pull ingredients right when you need them.  For one, you can forget things that way, and two, it just makes cooking kind of willy-nilly.  By getting everything out at once, you can streamline the part where you actually put the recipe together.

Above, I have my Measuring Spoon Set, a 1-Cup Measure-All Cup, my Manual Food Processor, my Bamboo Salt and Grinder Set, the Herb Keeper, Professional Shears, a Stainless Mixing Bowl, the Mix 'n Chop, a Citrus Press, two Forged Knives, a Mix 'n Scraper, the Avocado Peeler, and my trusty Large Cutting Board.  Let's do this.

All I can tell you about working with jalapenos is that you should wear gloves.  I learned the hard way to never, ever dig seeds out with your bare fingers, but today I also learned that cradling a hot pepper in your hand can lead to a delayed burning sensation on that tender skin between your thumb and pointer finger.  Don't be a hero.  Wear gloves.  Anyway, you definitely want to remove the seeds, and a spoon is perfect for doing so.  I sliced this pepper with the 5" Santoku Knife from the Forged Cutlery Collection.

The 4 1/2" Serrated Knife from the Forged Cutlery Collection is the ultimate for slicing tomatoes.  It breaks through the skin without smashing the... fruit?... vegetable?... Eh, whatever.

When I have multiple ingredients that need to be chopped, I throw them all in the Manual Food Processor together.  The cilantro, jalapeno, and green onions have all been swirled together to create a family of green awesomeness.  Note: I cut the pepper and onions into chunks before putting them in the processor.

I'm kind of shocked by the number of people who are intimidated by avocados.  First of all, let's talk about how to choose a ripe one.  It should give a little when you squeeze it, but it shouldn't be mushy.  If it feels like mush, you might have a mess inside.  If it feels as hard as a rock, give it a couple of days to turn to perfection.  Ok, for peeling, you just stick the Avocado Peeler in the side and let the large pit guide you all the way around.  Then you separate the two sides, and you end up with what you see below.  Scroll for the next step.

Remove the pit, and simply outline the meat, popping it out of the peel.  Done!  (If you want slices or cubes, just cut them while still inside the peel, and then pop them out.)

Mash the avocado with the Mix 'n Chop, and add everything else.  Here, I'm squeezing my lime juice with the Citrus Press.  You know what?  I've seen the Citrus Press featured in "Stuff chefs can't live without" type articles in three major food magazines over the last few months.  Get a Citrus Press, people!  Moving on... Isn't this looking beautiful now?

I'm using my favorite Stainless Mixing Bowl, the Mix 'n Scraper, and a Bamboo Grinder full of Pampered Pantry Himalayan Sea Salt.  The bowl is big and wide to ensure ingredients get mixed, the scraper keeps from anything being left on the sides, and the high quality salt says, "This guacamole was made with l-o-v-e." From here, taste, add more salt or lime juice if needed, and call it a day.  Your guacamole is ready to be enjoyed! 

One last picture and a tip for storage.  Put a pit inside, and cover the avocado with plastic that actually touches it.  Then cover your container with its lid.  This will maximize the time you have before your guacamole turns brown.

I'll let you know how things go over these next few weeks.  For now, let's all just enjoy guacamole deliciousness!

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Shop Online 24/7 at pamperedchef.biz/jennylyn

E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464



Eggplant, Tomato, and Feta Salad

I'm obsessed with feta cheese. I mean the kind of obsessed where I buy it by the pound at Whole Foods on a regular basis. Ok, so I'll be honest - a pound of feta lasts me a good, long time, but it still sounds cool to say I buy it a pound at a time. This salad has feta in it, but don't too excited unless you add more than the recipe states. Of course, I'm not saying you have to follow the recipe as written. Just don't get mad that I put feta in the title when you only get one tablespoon per serving. I got this recipe from Cooking Light, and I was smitten as soon as I the ingredient combination. I'd describe this salad as something you'd find on the bar at Whole Foods. It's an intriguing combination of flavors, it breaks outside the box just a little bit, and it leaves you feeling fresh instead of gross after you've eaten it. So there. Decide from that and the ingredient list below if this is something you want in your life.

Eggplant, Tomato, and Feta Salad

chefjennylyn.com

1 (1-pound) eggplant, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 cups coarsely chopped tomato

1/4 cup (1 oz.) crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons capers

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced

Prepare grill or grill pan.

Lightly coat both sides of eggplant slices with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until tender. Cool; cut each eggplant slice into quarters. Combine eggplant, tomato, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and toss gently.

Yield: 4 servings

The 7" Santoku Knife from the Forged Cutlery Collection is my favorite for eggplant. It gets right through the skin because of its sharp blade, but it's also large enough to keep your hands at a safe distance. Cutting things with knives that aren't the right size (example: baby carrots with a 7" Santoku) is a great way to injure yourself in the kitchen. And by injure, I mean horrify.

Look at that Grill Pan go! This is perfect for people like me who - cough, cough, um, well - don't own a grill. Also, how handy is it to just pull a pan out when you want fresh grilled corn? I'm piling my cooked eggplant on a Dots Salad Plate from the Simple Additions Collection.

The Large Cutting Board across the sink is a pretty normal site in my kitchen. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I lack counter space. Thank you, Large Cutting Board, for being my hero. my tomatoes are in an Easy Read Measuring Cup, and my red wine vinegar is in its baby brother, the Easy Read Mini Measuring Cup. I've never had anyone say he or she didn't love these cups after purchasing them. They're incredibly handy, and they nest inside one another for easy storage. I've got feta in a Measuring Cup and olive oil in and Adjustable Measuring Spoon. Then there's balsamic vinegar in the Scoop & Measure plus spices in a Pinch Bowl. See those tomato cores on the board? Thanks to the Core & More, I didn't waste half my tomatoes trying to cut around them.

Ok, so my "remaining ingredients" are whisked together in a Stainless Mixing Bowl just to make sure everything's incorporated before I add the eggplant, tomatoes, and feta. Since eggplant is pretty absorbent, this seems like a good call. The recipe says to cool the eggplant, so I've got it laid out on the Cooling Rack. Like the Large Cutting Board, this fits across the sink instead of demanding counter space. Love that feature!

Stack a few pieces of eggplant, make sure your fingers are out of the way, and cut into quarters. Don't try to be a hero and do too many slices at once, or you'll have a blade vs. flesh accident. Grilled eggplant is slippery, and you're asking for trouble if you get crazy with it. Again, I'm using the 7" Santoku from the Forged Cutlery Collection for all my eggplant sliciness.

Ok, so here's what people are saying about this salad:

"The blend of flavors blew my mind - I mean, eggplant, tomato, and feta - aaahhh!" - Jenny C.

"I always thought I liked eggplant, and this confirmed it. I do, in fact, like eggplant." - Jenny-Lyn

"I laughed, I cried, I decided to make it again sometime." - J. Carden

Like the products you saw used?

Shop Online 24/7 at pamperedchef.biz/jennylyn

E-mail me: chefjennylyn[at]gmail.com

Call me up: (205) 585-2464