Summer Salad

A refreshing and simple salad that is super easy and quick to make!

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
2 small tomatoes
1/2 small cucumber
shredded Parmesan cheese (or soy cheese)
Choice of favorite dressing (mine is Amy's Goddess which has Tahini in it)
Black pepper

Directions:
Slice avocado into small strips. Chop tomatoes into small triangles. Slice cucumber about 1/4 inch thick then stack and chop into 4, making 4 triangles each with a rounded side. Add shredded cheese, black pepper to taste and dressing!

Asparagus, Snap Pea, and Avocado Pasta

Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

Ingredients:
Course salt and ground pepper
1 lb. asparagus ends trimmed and cut into 2 inch lengths
1 lb. sugar snap peas (strings removed)
1 lb. bow tie pasta (farfalle)
4 Tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ripe avocado halved, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 Peccorino cheese plus more for serving, if desired

Directions:
In a large pasta pot of boiling salted water cook asparagus and snap peas until bright green. Be sure to not overcook! I made the mistake of not watching the pot closely. Do not cook more than 2 minutes! With a slotted spoon or spatula, scoop out vegetables and transfer to a bowl.

Return water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente. Meaning not soft, but not uncooked! My trick is to keep tasting it until I think it's cooked enough. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Set pasta aside in colander.

In pasta pot, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add asparagus, snap peas, and garlic: season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Although if you accidentally over cooked your veggies the first time around, don't bother cooking again. Just toss everything in! Add remaining 2 Tbsp butter, cooked pasta, avocado, herbs, cheese and reserved pasta water. Toss to combine, season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with additional cheese, if desired.

Yummy Mango Burrito

I know what you're thinking, mango in a burrito? Adding a mango slice will add a nice and subtle sweetness to the burrito. I was inspired from an old recipe I had tried from The Millenium Cookbook which used mango in a Vietnamese style roll. On a whim, I decided to try it in a burrito. The below vegan recipe serves 1, but you can increase the amount for more.

Ingredients:
1 Slice of Mango
2-3 Small Slices of Avocado
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Clove of Garlic
1/2 12 oz. Can of Pinto Beans
Handful of Cilantro
5 Mushrooms
1 tsp of Red Chili Pepper
1/4 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
1/2 of an Onion would've been nice, but I didn't have one during the making
1/2 tsp of 21 Seasoning from Trader Joe's (some might consider this cheating, but it makes the recipe quick)
Large flour tortillas
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp Canola Oil

Prepare by chopping up garlic and cilantro. Slice bell pepper into strips. Slice mushrooms too. Place oil, red chili pepper, cayenne pepper, seasoning, and garlic in a pan over medium heat. After pan has been heated, about 5 to 10 minutes - add bell pepper, mushrooms, and pinto beans. Stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a little water if necessary. Keep stirring. In the meantime, place a tortilla in the toaster oven for about a minute just to warm up and soften. Cover your pan. Slice the avocado and prepare a slice of mango.

After the tortilla has been heated. Spoon 1/2 or 1/4 of bean stir-fry onto the tortilla. Add a few avocado slices, cilantro, and mango. Fold burrito. Click here to see how to fold a burrito. Top off with salsa if you'd like. My dinner for two consecutive nights!

Avocado Salad

Hot weather calls for salads. If you love avocado like I do, you'll love this yummy snack!

Required: Avocado, Baby Spring Mix (I got a pre-washed bag from Trader Joe's), Tomatoes, Almonds

Optional: Tofu, Spinach
Chop 1 tomato. Slice 1 avocado. Chop half of 1 packaged tofu into small cubes. Take the baby spring mix and throw some into a large bowl. If you have raw spinach you can mix it up by adding a little into the spring mix. Top the greens off with tomatoes, sliced avocados, and cubes of tofu. Throw in a few almonds (about 10-15).

For salad dressing, I used the Goddess Dressing from Trader Joe's. This dressing is tahini based... and it's vegan!