Grilled Mexican Pizza

I made a meatless meal...

And loved it!

I mean, I knew I loved the ingredients involved. But I didn't know I liked them that much that I wouldn't even miss the meat. 

You see, I've been trying to eat a little better these days. And this recipe was packed full of bright and flavorful veggies, + I got it from Cooking Light which means it's gotta be better than scarfing down a huge burger or fried chicken, right? 

 















































Please don't hold this healthy thing against me though, k? Especially if you're following my instagram...  you may or may not see endless photos of margaritas and frozen yogurt and starchy chips and loaded sweets and sushi and... you get my drift.
 
But this recipe though... 

If this is what health{ier} looks like, I'm on board.

 

Grilled Mexican Pizza
adapted from Good Housekeeping

• 10-12 inch ready-made thin pizza crust
• 1/2 can refried beans (or however much you like to cover the crust)
• 1/2 cup (or more) shredded Mexican cheese
• 1 corn on the cob 
• 1/2 a red onion, diced and divided 
• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 cup shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 medium tomato, diced 

Prepare outdoor grill for covered, direct grilling on medium. 

Grill corn until charred and cooked. Using a knife, cut off grilled corn kernels into a bowl.

You can grill one side of the crust first, if desired. Spread refried beans evenly on one side of the crust, leaving 1/2-inch border; sprinkle with cheese and half of the diced red onions. Place crust on hot grill rack; cover and grill until grill marks appear, about 8 to 9 minutes.  

Meanwhile, gently stir avocado with 1 tablespoon lime juice. Toss corn with lime zest and remaining lime juice. 

Top grilled pizza with romaine, tomato, avocado, remaining diced onions, and corn mixture. 


*Note: The measurements can be adjusted depending on your preference. 

Printable Recipe

 



Rainbow pizza, is what I should call this. 

So many things going on! Creamy avocados soaked in lime juice, grilled corn, fresh romaine, juicy tomatoes, and sweet red onions atop refried beans and that crispy crust. Exactly.

This was my first time grilling a pizza, and it surely won't be the last. I've gotta eventually move up to making my own pizza dough and crust! That's on one of my bucket lists.


Linking up here.




Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Avocado, Goat Cheese + Roasted Tomato Crostini

Well how the heck are ya? It's about time for another recipe. Apparently I'm on a cute-little-appetizer kick. 

 

























































This time, it's avocado + goat cheese + roasted tomatoes. Salivation and grinning-ear-to-ear were my first reactions too.  

 

Awhile back, I had seen this alluring Parmesan with Roasted Garlic dipping oil and had to have it. Only thing is, I'm not much of a bread person. So these little guys were the perfect opp to use that dipping oil. The less bread, the better. Except when it comes to Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. And when I saw goat cheese as an ingredient, I couldn't just go with plain goat cheese. No, no. So I got all fancy with some special tomato basil goat cheese.

Avocado, Goat Cheese + Roasted Tomato Crostini
slightly adapted from Food.com

*Yields: 20 crostinis

• 1 ciabatta baguette
• dipping/olive oil (I used Parmesan with Roasted Garlic dipping oil)
• 20 cherry tomatoes (or more)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1 large ripe avocado
• 4 oz goat cheese (I used tomato basil goat cheese)
• juice and zest of 1/2 of a lemon
• 2 dashes hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut baguette into 20 half-inch slices. Brush slices with dipping/olive oil and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

Cut tomatoes in half and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and a drizzle of dipping/olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes.

Cut avocado in half lengthwise, remove pit, and scoop out the inside into a large bowl. Add goat cheese, lemon zest and juice, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to the bowl and mix. Place dollops of avocado mixture onto baguette slices and garnish with 2 (or more) roasted tomato halves.

Printable Recipe

Sprinkle a little balsamic vinegar on top if you please, like I did.

A balsamic glaze would have really cut down on the vinegar taste since I just straight drizzled balsamic vinegar itself on top. And it would make for prettier pictures, that's for sure. That dark, thick gorgeous glaze. Team balsamic glaze all the way. Learn from me.

linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Avocado Salsa

More avocados! See, told ya I was making up for lost time. I've still got a lot of making up to do, I mean, I went like 25 years of my life without it! 

Here's another Cinco de Mayo recipe to get your avocado fix.





































No cooking required at all, definitely my kinda simple. 
































Avocado Salsa
slightly adapted from Right at Home (half the original recipe)

• 2 ripe avocados, diced into large chunks
• 1 lime
• 1 roma tomato, diced into large pieces
• 1/2 a red onion, diced
• 1/2 of a jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/8 cup cilantro leaves, chopped finely
• salt and pepper to taste

Place avocado in a large bowl. Squeeze lime juice over the avocados. Add diced tomatoes and onion, jalapeno, and cilantro to the bowl. Stir all ingredients well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap to keep avocados from turning brown. Refrigerate until served.

Printable Recipe
 

And yes I served them with Cool Ranch Doritos. I love them way more than plain tortilla chips.

What are your plans for Cinco de Mayo? Any fun parties you're attending? I'll be at home posted up on the couch eating Mexican foods and drinkin margaritas.

That is all.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Bacon and Roasted Garlic Guacamole

Welp, this stuff is pretty amazing.

You know about roasted garlic, right? It's soft, it's a bit sweeter, it makes all things better. 

Except your breath. 

 

































And you already know my thoughts on bacon.

It too makes everything better.

































Except scallops. That is the one thing I don't like wrapped in bacon. I'm weird.


But roasted garlic and bacon make this guac oh-so-special. I dare you to try it and not like it. Double dog dare you.


























Bacon and Roasted Garlic Guacamole
adapted from Fabtastic Eats

• 1 head of garlic
• olive oil
• 2 strips of bacon
• 4 tablespoons red onion, minced
• 3 avocados, seeded
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice off the top of the head of garlic to expose some cloves inside. Place the heads on a piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and wrap in the foil. Roast until cloves are lightly browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and unwrap to cool.

While garlic is roasting, chop bacon and cook in a skillet until crisp. When bacon is almost done, add in minced red onion and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain off grease on a paper towel and set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss in avocados and squeeze in all of the roasted garlic. Add the lime juice and cayenne pepper. Mash together roughly.  Stir in the bacon and onion mixture, and cilantro. Add salt to taste.


Printable Recipe

Would you believe I didn't like guacamole until I was an adult? 

I said I was weird! And now I'm making up for all that lost time.








































Linking up here.  


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Endive, Avocado, and Bacon Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing

Time for another one of the many challenges I participate in... the Eating the Alphabet Recipe Challenge, hosted by the lovely Brenda at Meal Planning Magic!

This month the letters were E or F, and remember you have to choose a vegetable, fruit, bean or grain. I chose endive because I had never eaten it before.

 






















Did you know there are different kinds of endive? I didn't, until I got to the store and saw just plain endive, which looked like lettuce kinda, and Belgian endive, which looked like tiny little white corn on the cob husks, and are hollow when peeled off the head. I went with the endive lettuce. When I got home I saw that the original recipe called for California endive. Good God, could endive be anymore confusing?  :)

Oh well, it was still delicious. I mean, how can you go wrong with all those ingredients in a salad? Avocado, bacon, homemade dressing with chipotles! And I added some diced onions, just because. And let's be honest here, the endive was just there to soak up all that dressing. What, isn't that the purpose of lettuce in a salad? :) I kid, I kid. Kinda.

Endive, Avocado, and Bacon Salad with Chipotle Ranch Dressing
adapted from All Day I Dream About Food

*Yields: 2 small side salads

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons mayo
• 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad:

• 1 head of endive lettuce, chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped
• 1/2 a roma tomato, diced
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1-2 tablespoons red onion, chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese

For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a sealable glass jar and shake vigorously.

For the salad, divide chopped endive lettuce among two salad plates. Sprinkle with avocado, tomatoes, bacon, onion, and cheese. Drizzle with dressing. Remaining dressing can be stored in fridge.
  

Printable Recipe

























Be sure to check out my past Eating the Alphabet Recipe Challenge entries. You're bound to find some keepers.

   
Linking up here.  


Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Avocado Bacon and Eggs

I am on FIRE this week with posting!! This never happens. Must be something about this week. All the love in the air, maybe?

Brenda has started The Eating the Alphabet challenge back up! The letters this month were A or B. I chose A for avocado. But is it a fruit or vegetable? Wikipedia says it's a fruit, but I've always thought of it as a vegetable. What do I know?

By now, you guys know I'm a breakfast girl. 

Yeah, I may be eating it at noon on a weekend "morning" but nonetheless, I love my breakfast. 

You know what else I love just as much as breakfast? Avocados. Crazy how I used to be so scared of that green stuff that now makes my life so worth living. Yeah, I live a boring life  :)

So this right here is some of my favorite things all together in one recipe. I can satisfy my love of breakfast food, specifically BACON, and my love of avocado all at once. 

Not gonna lie, getting that egg to stay in the avocado hole can be a little frustrating. Make sure to dig a deep enough hole that the whole egg can sit in without spilling over. I didn't wanna scoop out too much avocado because I was scared there wouldn't be enough in the finished product! But next time I'd definitely scoop out some more because there was still plenty of avocado.  I also used my usual large eggs  and next time would try it with medium eggs to see if that helps it fit in the avocado better without spilling over.

 
















Avocado Bacon and Eggs
from California Avocado

• 1 large avocado
• 2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 2 eggs

Cut the avocado in half. Scoop out the avocado so the hole matches the size of your eggs to prevent spillage. Crack an egg into each half of the avocado, resting the edge of the avocado on the side of the cookie sheet to help keep the avocado steady. Top with bacon crumbs and place in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until eggs are cooked to your likings. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Printable Recipe 

What a fantastic blend of salty from the bacon, and creamy from the avocado, with a little runny yolk from the egg. And I liked the warm avocado, it was a nice change from the cool that I usually associate with avocado.

Probably making this again this weekend. It's that good. Would I lie to you?




  
Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Ranch Taco Salad

Why yes, it has been 13 days since I last posted.

Gotsta get back on my game, people! I've got a month vacation from school until I start back up late August, so I'm trying to enjoy it while I can. And that means a lot of sleeping. But I promise to make more time for blogging.

The inspiration for this taco salad came from Taco Casa's taco salad with ranch. Then I saw Tina's recipe for Ranch Doritos Taco Salad and morphed the two ideas together. No thousand island dressing for me. Ranch dressing, though? This girl loves her some ranch.

Not gonna lie, I do prefer Taco Casa's ranch dressing to the bottled Hidden Valley ranch that we used. What the heck does Taco Casa use?!? I prefer our seasoned ground beef though to Taco Casa's low grade beef mush. Plus Taco Casa doesn't have all the extra goodies on there like onions and avocados and corn. And this uses realllll lettuce, not iceberg lettuce. And ranch doritos instead of regular tortilla chips. 

So there, take that Taco Casa!

Pile on the goods. Lettuce, tomatoes, corn, avocado, red onions, seasoned beef, ranch dressing, cheddar cheese. Whatever your little heart desires.

Eat and enjoy.

Ranch Taco Salad

adapted from Taco Casa's version + Mom's Crazy Cooking

• 1 head of green leaf lettuce
• 1 lb ground beef cooked with Homemade Taco Mix
• 1/2 cup corn
• 5 oz (about 16) cherry tomatoes, halved and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced or diced 
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Cool Ranch Doritos

Layer ingredients beginning with lettuce, then beef, then corn, tomatoes, avocado, and onion. Top with ranch dressing and then cheese. Adjust measurements according to your liking, or add or exclude any ingredients you don't like. Serve with Cool Ranch Doritos.

Printable Recipe

How do you like your taco salad? 

Aka how should I be eating mine?  :)

Peace, and bacon grease!

Linking up here.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Bacon and Avocado Topped Deviled Eggs {Holiday Recipe Club: Easter!}

Whoa there, it's been some time since I've posted a recipe. I'm sorry! I hate myself for it. Ok that's taking it a bit far, but I do feel guilt over it. I just can't find as much time to post recipes and take natural light photos. Not to mention I still haven't learned how to use my new dslr. Which isn't really new anymore because I've had it since December and my lens since January or February. Anybody wanna come to my house and give me a personal dslr lesson? Anyone?

I did find the time to participate in this month's Holiday Recipe Club challenge for Easter, and we had to make something using one or more of these three ingredients: spinach, carrots, or eggs. I chose eggs, cuz it's Easter duh. And what goes perfect with Easter?

Yep. Deviled eggs.

Not just any deviled eggs. Deviled eggs topped with two of my favorite things: bacon and avocado. Say what?! Yes, you read that right. 

(I changed the name so that people wouldn't be mistaken that these were deviled eggs filled with an avocado mixture, because I've seen recipes like that. These are just normal deviled eggs topped with bacon and avocado). 

Bacon and Avocado Topped Deviled Eggs

slightly adapted from Lady Behind the Curtain

• 6 eggs
• 3 slices of thick-cut or center-cut bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 of an avocado, sliced or diced
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to top

Place eggs in a single layer in a 4-quart pot. Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by at least an inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 12-15 minutes. Drain. Run cold water over the eggs until cool enough to touch. Peel eggs and slice in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a medium bowl. Set whites aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, cook bacon over low-medium heat until crisp. Drain grease; set aside. In a bowl, mash egg yolks with a fork. Add mayo, mustard, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Stir to mix. 

Cut avocado into 12 equal pieces; toss with lemon juice. Pipe or spoon egg yolk mixture into egg whites halves. Top with an avocado piece and bacon piece(s). Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Cover and chill up to 4 hours. Makes 12.

Printable Recipe

Definitely top them with larger pieces of bacon and avocado though, like Sheryl did. What was I thinking depriving those deviled eggs of more bacon and avocado? I was trying to make mine all pretty for the camera, but afterwards I topped them with more bacon and avocado pieces. I love the crunch from the bacon and the added flavor from the avocados. I've already thought about making them again this week. Yep, that soon.

These deviled eggs would be perfect to take to an Easter gathering or if you're staying home, make some for the fam! I just may whip some up to take to my mama's house this weekend. I'm sure she'd appreciate some help with the menu.

Oh, and you can always make these when it's not Easter time. You know, pretty much any time of day and for any occasion. Or lack of an occasion. 

Basically, just make em. K? Thanks.

Linking up here.

Peace, and bacon grease!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad