One of my favorite things about summer is tomato havest time! I make as many fresh tomato things as I can…I just can’t get enough of ‘em. Here’s a a great sandwich recipe to use up some of those perfect summer tomatoes. This is a good time to splurge on some top-quality bacon like Nueske’s Thick Sliced Applewood Smoked Bacon. Enjoy!

California BLTs
-recipe from Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten

Makes 2 sandwiches

6 thick-cut slices smoked bacon
4 slices good white bread, cut 1/2-inch thick
4 tablespoons good mayonnaise (recommended: Hellman’s)
4 to 8 tender green lettuce leaves, washed and spun very dry
1 ripe Hass avocado
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 large ripe tomato, sliced 1/2-inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place a baking wire rack on a sheet pan and arrange the bacon on the rack in a single layer. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until the bacon is browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

Place the bread slices on a sheet pan and toast them for 5 minutes. Turn the slices and toast for 1 more minute, until all the bread is evenly browned. Place 2 slices on a cutting board. Spread each slice with about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. Cover the slices with a layer of lettuce. Peel the avocado and slice it 1/2-inch thick. Toss the avocado slices gently with the lemon juice, and arrange on top of the lettuce leaves. Place 3 slices of bacon on top of each sandwich and then add a layer of tomato slices on top of the bacon. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Spread each of the remaining 2 slices of toasted bread with 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and place, mayonnaise side down, on the sandwiches. Cut in half and serve.

Tags: avocado, bacon, Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten, BLAT, BLT, California BLT, lettuce, sandwich, tomato

I’m always on the look out for new grilling recipes. These Southwest Grilled Chicken and Avocado Melts are easy to make and perfect for the summer season. Serve with black beans, and a salad dressed with Southwestern Vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Southwest Grilled Chicken and Avocado Melts
-recipe from Sunset Magazine

Even within the same variety, chiles can vary greatly in heat. If you like yours mild, pull out the inner membrane when seeding them; that’s where a lot of the heat-producing capsaicin is concentrated.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 Anaheim or poblano chiles
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (about 8 oz. each)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Lime wedges
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1 cup shredded jack cheese

Prepare a grill for high heat (450° to 550°; you can hold your hand 5 in. above cooking grate only 2 to 4 seconds). Rub 1 tbsp. oil over chiles. Cook chiles, turning often, until skins are browned. Put chiles in a bowl, cover, and let cool. Seed chiles and rub off skins.

Meanwhile, rub remaining 1 tbsp. oil over chicken. Combine cumin, cayenne, and salt and sprinkle evenly over each breast. Grill chicken, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes total.

Squeeze a little lime over chicken, then top each breast with a few avocado slices, a reserved chile, and about 1/4 cup cheese. Grill, covered, until cheese melts, about 4 minutes.

Tags: Anaheim chiles, Anaheim pepper, avocado, Chicken, grilling, jack cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, poblano chiles, poblano peppers, Southwest, Southwest Grilled Chicken and Avocado Melts

Guacamole…so simple yet so incredibly delicious. The first time I had really great guacamole was at a resort in Tuscon, Arizona. The waiter made it at our table so, of course, we were impressed with the presentation: mashing the perfect avocado right before our very eyes in a molcajete, the traditional Mexican version of a mortar and pestle, then adding fresh tomato, chopped onion, a little garlic, cilantro, fresh lime and salt. It was amazing! 

A good batch of guacamole is hard to stop eating, especially when you serve it with fresh, locally-made tortilla chips. If you live in the Portland area, try Juanita’s brand tortilla chips. They’re made in Hood River and are the best grocery store tortilla chips I’ve ever had (available at many local markets). Some Mexican restaurants even sell freshly-made tortilla chips.

This recipe for guacamole is from Rick Bayless, the king of authentic Mexican cuisine. I prefer the luxurious version of this guac…it rocks!  As long as you start with good avocados, you pretty much can’t go wrong. For more on avocados, click here.

Guacamole Three Ways: Simple, Herby or Luxurious
Guacamole Tres Estilos
-recipe from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

“I gave up looking for “the one best guacamole” years ago. Because “the best” is only the best for a particular moment, a particular set of ingredients, a particular group of people and the role it plays in their eating or snacking. Which is why I’ve written this recipe in stages. I want you to have an easy-to-follow guide for making the perfect guacamole for a multitude of uses, a variety of occasions. So it starts with the simplest perfect mash of avocado, garlic and salt (I know many cooks in Mexico who think that adding anything to avocados but those two ingredients is a start on the road to ruin). This simple guacamole is a delicious condiment to spread on sandwiches or grilled meat tacos that are served with salsa. Adding cilantro and lime to the basic, garlicky guacamole gives it the pizzazz to stand alone—as a topping for crispy tacos or tostadas, even as a dip. Green chile, white onion and red tomato—do I need to point out that those are the colors of Mexico’s flag?—create a chest-thumping, look-at-me guacamole that’s perfect with a bowl of chips at a party where the music’s turned up and there are lots of laughs.” -Rick Bayless

Makes 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups

2 medium ripe avocados
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
Salt
To make it herby, add:
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
About 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
To make it luxurious, also add:
Fresh hot green chile to taste (I like 1 serrano or ½ to 1 jalapeño), finely chopped
¼ small white onion, finely chopped
½ medium tomato, chopped into ¼-inch dice

Cut the avocados in half, running your knife around the pit from stem to blossom end and back up again. Twist the halves in opposite directions to free the pits and pull the halves apart. Dislodge the pits, then scoop out the avocado flesh into a medium bowl.

Mash the avocado with a large fork or potato masher. Stir in the garlic and about ½ teaspoon salt, plus any other sets of ingredients you’ve chosen. If your list includes the white onion, rinse it first under cold water, then shake well to rid it of excess moisture, before adding to the avocado. (This reduces the risk of having onion flavor overwhelm the guacamole.) Taste and season with additional salt if appropriate. If not using immediately, cover with plastic wrap pressed directly on the surface of the guacamole and refrigerate—preferably not more than a few hours.

A Riff on “Stage Two” Guacamole: Replace the lime juice with (or, for extra-tangy guacamole, add along with the lime juice) about ½ cup homemade or bottled tomatillo salsa—perfect as a topping or a dip, especially when you need to make the guacamole ahead (the additional acid in the tomatillos helps keep the guacamole greener for longer).

Avocado Sauce: For a tangy sauce to drizzle over raw (or blanched) vegetables or on tacos, tostadas and the like, follow the above variation, increasing the tomatillo salsa to 1 cup; puree everything in a blender. If the sauce is too thick to drizzle, thin with additional tomatillo salsa. A little heavy cream, sour cream or crème fraiche can be added for wonderful richness.

Tags: avocado, cilantro, guacamole, Juanita's tortilla chips, lime, Mexican Everyday Cookbook, molcajete, onion, Rick Bayless, tomato

This salsa rocks! It’s easy to make and can be served with tortilla chips or as a topping for grilled chicken, pork or seafood. YUMM! Husband was skeptical of the mango/avocade combo at first but after his first bite, he was blown away by all the flavor. He then kept commenting on how good it was. I served the chunky salsa liberally spooned over slices of grilled pork tenderloin that had been marinated in a combo of olive oil, orange juice, garlic, red wine vinegar, smoked paprika, cumin and salt/pepper. Delicious!

The only thing I did differently from the recipe was substitute 1/2 a seeded jalapeno for the habanero chile. Next time, I start with less salt then add if needed. The amount of seasoning will depend on the size of avocado and mango being used.

If serving the Mango and Avocado Salsa for company, you’ll probably want to double or triple the recipe because it will disappear quickly! After you make it, let me know how you served it. Enjoy!!!

Note: Always use caution when seeding spicy chiles like habaneros and jalapenos. The seeds and veins inside the chiles can cause skin irritation. There’s lots of info on the web about seeing chiles if you’re not sure.

Mango and Avocado Salsa
-recipe from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and diced medium
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and diced medium
1 small red onion, diced small
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 to 1 habanero chile (stem and seeds removed), minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Makes 3 cups.

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Tags: avocado, cilantro, Dip, habanero chile, lime juice, mango, Mexican, olive oil, red onion, salsa, tropical