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Greek Stuffed Avocado

These stuffed avocados make the classic salad a little more hearty, as well as perfectly portable, making them the ideal side serving. They also make the BEST take-to-work lunch, just make sure to squeeze a lemon over the cut avocados to prevent browning.

INGREDIENTS:

2 avocados, halved and pitted

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp. black olives, roughly chopped

1/2 Persian cucumber, cubed

1/4 c. feta, cubed 

2 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh dill

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, toss together tomatoes, red onion, olives, cucumber, feta, dill, olive oil, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Scoop out each avocado half, leaving about ½” border. Cut the removed avocado into bite-sized pieces and stir into prepared salad.

Fill each avocado half generously with Greek salad mixture and serve immediately.

Classic Bruschetta

Nothing screams summer quite like bruschetta. Be sure to rub the toasted bread with garlic for a kick of flavour. Top them with simple marinated tomatoes for the ultimate summer snack.

What kind of tomatoes? Juicy ones, yes. Even drier ones like roma are perfect. In fact, drying tomatoes a bit is key for bruschetta. What do we mean by drying, and why is it better? The key is to keep the toast like toast should be: Dry. When you use juicy tomatoes, you will no doubt get a powerful (and delicious) tomato result. But if the tomatoes are too wet, the toast will be soggy. The trick: Salt your tomatoes. After they have been diced, add them to a large strainer or colander over a bowl, and toss with some salt. Let sit 5 minutes. See what happens? Lots of liquid at the bottom of your bowl. While we hate throwing things away, that tomato juice is going to be (too?) salty to use for anything else.

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE TOMATOES

4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 arge tomatoes, diced

1/4 c. thinly sliced basil

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 

1 tsp. kosher salt

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

FOR THE BREAD

1 large baguette, sliced ¼” thick on the bias

Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

2 cloves garlic, halved

DIRECTIONS:

Make marinated tomatoes: In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, heat oil. Add garlic and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 4 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Add garlic and oil from skillet and toss to combine. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, toast bread: Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Brush bread on both sides lightly with oil and place on large baking sheet. Toast bread until golden, 10 to 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Let bread cool for 5 minutes, then rub tops of bread with halved garlic cloves. 

Spoon tomatoes on top of bread just before serving.

WHITE CHOCOLATE COCONUT CASHEW HOT SMOOTHIE

Warm up with this delicious winter warmer that will warm not only your tastebuds, but also your heart! What’s best is that this smoothie is actually good for you – oats, nuts, maca powder, banana, coconut and coconut milk. There’s also just a little bit of chocolate in there to add a touch of sweetness. 

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes 2 Smoothies)

2 large or 4 small chunks white Chocolate

2 + ½ cups fresh Coconut milk (the refrigerated kind such as Apro – as opposed to canned coconut milk)

6 tbsp Oats

1 ripe Banana (the riper the better)

2 tsp Maca powder (optional)

20 Cashew nuts

2 tbsp Toasted coconut (simple place unsweetened coconut flakes in a hot oven for 1 minute to brown – but be careful, they burn quickly)

DIRECTIONS:

Add the white chocolate to a jug, and pour in 2 cups of the coconut milk. Microwave until the mixture is hot and the chocolate has melted (you can do this in a pan if you prefer).

Place the oats, banana, maca powder, cashew nuts, 1 tbsp of the toasted coconut, and the 1/2 cup of cold coconut milk into your blender (don’t add any hot liquid to your smoothie maker or blender).

Blend on high for a minute until the oats and have been completely incorporated (add an extra splash of cold coconut milk or water if it’s looking too thick to blend properly).

Divide the blended oat mixture between two cups and stir in the hot milk/chocolate mix. Top with the remaining toasted coconut and serve.