A Tex-Mex Sensation

Our friend Vijay from Rochester was visiting for a few days, and I wanted to make him something with California flare for dinner. Luckily, I also had an intense craving for avocados. Once before Adam and I had made this Crunchy Avocado Salad recipe, and I decided that it would be the perfect thing to serve. I rounded out the meal by filling quesadillas with grilled jalapenos and cilantro chicken sausage. I made the quesadillas in a non-stick skillet by topping a tortilla with a blend of Mexican cheeses, sliced grilled jalapenos, and sliced grilled cilantro chicken sausage (bought from Trader Joe's). It may not have been the most elegant meal in the world, but it was a fast, non-labor intensive meal to make while guests are waiting, not to mention delicious! (Sorry the picture is so dark, I am having issues with Adobe.)


Crunchy Avocado Salad (Grill It! with Bobby Flay, www.foodnetwork.com)

This salad really couldn't be any easier or more delectable. The only things that I changed around were frozen cilantro cubes for the parsley and white wine vinegar for the champagne vinegar.

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pitted nicoise olives, roughly chopped
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and drained again
2 tablespoons roughly torn flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces blue corn tortilla chips

1. Gently toss the avocados, tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Crumble the chips over the top and serve.