The Guacamole Can Swim!

The board for the Haute Couture Club of Chicago met at my house yesterday to plan out our upcoming year, and of course, I could not let them go without lunch!

Whenever I entertain, I do my best to try and have items that will satisfy diet restrictions. That of course can be a very tricky thing. In order to try and provide something that everyone could eat, I had the loveliest heirloom tomatoes that I sliced, sprinkled with a little dried oregano, and some sun-dried tomato infused olive oil. I made my favorite fruit salad, mango, peaches, and cantaloupe. Finally, I made one of my favorite tuna salad recipes. This recipe has no mayonnaise, yogurt, or sour cream, so anyone who may have an egg or dairy issue, I'm in good shape. Well, I'm in good shape as long as they can eat tuna!!! 

The recipe is super simple. I take 4 avocados and mash them well.

The mashed avocados are then mixed into 4, 4 oz. cans of drained tuna. I always get tuna in water, and I try and get the best quality tuna.

A small onion is chopped and added to the mixture. 

And finally, 1 bunch of cilantro is finely chopped. Really turns the mixture into a bright green goddess concoction. 

When I am not serving this to guests, I usually chop up a jalapeno pepper and add it to the mix. In the end, the salad is basically guacamole with tuna!

When making the salad, be sure to save the avocado seeds in case you have leftovers. The avocado seeds will help keep the avocado from turning dark. The salad will store well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.  

The salad can be served on a bed of greens, or on a hearty piece of bread with greens. 

The Goddess of Greens Tuna Salad

ingredients;
4 medium avocados mashed
4 4oz, cans of good tuna
1 small white onion finely chopped
1 bunch fresh cilantro finely chopped
salt and black pepper to taste
1 finely chopped jalapeno (optional)

directions; 
Mix all ingredients. 
Serve as a sandwich spread, or over a bed of greens. If serving over a bed of greens, drizzle with a little olive oil.
Save the avocado seeds to store with leftovers.

Enjoy!

Rhonda

Sunday's Soup/Fiesta Fun Hominy, Tomatillo and Poblano Soup

There's little I love more than to go to the grocery store and allow what's there to inspire me. I also LOVE hominy. I grew up eating hominy with eggs and as a side dish. However it's given to me, I love it!

On a recent trip to the store, the tomatillos seemed to just jump right out at me. The poblano peppers also looked great, so I decided to try my hand at a little something different. 

Below you see the poblano peppers, fresh cilantro, and tomatillos.

If you've never used tomatillos before, they look like little green tomatoes in a paper thin husk.

I began by roasting the tomatillos and the poblano peppers on the grill. If you decide to give the soup a try, don't skip this part as the roasting gives the soup such a wonderful flavor. Just be sure that the grill is nice and hot before putting the vegetables on the grill.

Roast the tomatillos until they are brown and have softened. Place in a blender and blend well.

The poblano peppers should be roasted until they are really quite black on the outside.

Pull off the blackened skin and pull the seeds out of the peppers. Poblano peppers are not hot, so this is not a hot, spicy soup.

Chop the peppers and put aside.

Add oil to a large soup pot and add the chopped onions. Saute until tender. Add garlic and saute another minute to allow the garlic to release its flavor, but not burn.

Add the blended tomatillos, chopped peppers, and hominy, to the pot along with 4 to 6 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Add 1 cup of finely chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon of coriander, 2 teaspoons of cumin, and salt and black pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for approximately 20 to 30 minutes, just giving the spices time to flavor the soup.

The final soup is absolutely delicious, low in calories, and yet the flavor is so robust that you'll feel you've sinned! I have loved every bite!!!

Fiesta Fun Hominy, Tomatillo, and Poblano Soup
printable recipe

ingredients;

12 tomatillos, husks removed
2 poblano peppers
1 bunch of fresh cilantro finely chopped
2 25 oz. cans hominy, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic finely minced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon corinader
 2 teaspoons cumin
salt and black pepper to taste

Place tomatillos and poblano peppers on a hot grill and roast until tomatillos are brown and have softened. Poblano peppers should be blackened.

Place tomatillos in a blender and blend until smooth. Remove blackened skin from peppers and remove the stem and seeds. Chop peppers and sit aside.

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and saute until tender. Add garlic and saute another minute to release flavor. Add tomatillos,  poblano peppers, hominy and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Begin with 4 cups of broth and add more as the hominy begins to thicken the soup. Add  cilantro, coriander, cumin, salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer for approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

If you would like, top the soup with crumbled chihauhau cheese and chopped green onions. Serve with tortilla chips or a hot pan of corn bread.  

Enjoy! 
Rhonda