Southwestern Salad with Avocado-Lime Dressing ~ Salada com Molho de Abacate e Limão

When you love what you do, whether it’s a hobby or a job, it seems very easy.  That’s how I feel about cooking.  I rarely look at a recipe and say, “that looks difficult”.  Instead I think, “this will be a very delicious dish”.  Somehow, though, the best recipes, those that I receive the most compliments for, seem to be the easiest.  I made this salad as a first course where the main dish was a fish and shrimp stew (moqueca de peixe e camarão).  The light and lemony avocado dressing paved the way for the stew.  The nice thing about this recipe is that the main ingredients consist of items we normally have in our pantry and fridge.

PS-I’m still writing to you from inside the closet.  We haven’t purchased a new router.

• 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 ½ cups cooked pinto beans or 1 15-oz. can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• ¼ cup chopped green onions
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 ripe avocado
• ¾ cup prepared (not chunky) salsa
• ½ cup low-fat sour cream
• 3 Tbs. lime juice
• 4 drops Tabasco sauce, optional
• ⅓ cup crushed corn tortilla chips (about 20 chips), optional

1. Combine lettuce, beans, tomatoes, and corn in clear glass bowl. Sprinkle green onions and cilantro on top.

2. Mash avocado in separate bowl, and whisk in salsa, sour cream, and lime juice. Season with hot sauce (if using), and salt and pepper, if desired. Pour dressing over salad, toss well, and top with crushed corn chips (if using).

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As melhores receitas são as mais fáceis.  Esta salada é bem simples.  Ela pode servir de prato principal ou pode acompanhar uns espetos de camarão ou até uma moqueca de peixe.

• 2 copos de alface picada
• 1 ½ copos de feijão enlatado
• 1 copo de tomates picados
• ½ copo de milho congelado
• ¼ copo de cebolinha picada
• ¼ copo de coentro picado
• 1 abacate
• ¾ copo de salsa (salsa mexicana enlatada)
• ½ copo sour cream (creme)
• 3 colheres de chá de suco de limão
• 4 gotas Tabasco (molho de pimenta), opcional
• ⅓ copo chips de tortilla (uns 20 chips) quebrado, opcional

1. Coloque o alface, o feijão, os tomates e o milho numa tigela de vidro grande.  Jogue a cebolinha e o cilantro por cima.

2. Amasse o abacate numa tigela separada, adicione a salsa, o creme e o suco de limão.  Tempere com pimenta e sal.  Jogue o molho por cima dos outro ingredientes, misture bem e enfeite com os chips de tortilla.

 

 

~ Videos ~ Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Photos and Videos by Priscillakittycat

Photo by Priscillakittycat

Summer Fruit Salad ~ Salada de Frutas do Verão

Photo by Priscillakittycat, Recipe by Vegetarian Times.

This salad’s happy color makes me want to jump in the ocean and play with dolphins.  It reminds me of colorful umbrellas, beach chairs, paddle ball, and Frisbees.  Pretty painted toenails and a nap on the hammock.

• ⅓ cup sugar
• ¼ cup fresh mint
• 2 Tbs. lemon or lime juice
• 2 peaches or nectarines, cut into 1½-inch pieces
• 1 cup sliced strawberries or whole raspberries
• 1 cup blueberries

1. Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in saucepan. Simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in mint and lemon juice. Steep 15 minutes. Strain out mint.

2. Combine peaches, strawberries, and blueberries in large bowl. Stir in sugar syrup. Cover, and chill 2 hours, or overnight.

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As cores desta salada me dão vontade de pular no mar e brincar com os golfinhos.  Me lembra de sombrinhas de praia, fresco ball, dedinhos do pé pintados e uma soneca na rêde.

1/3 copo de açucar
1/4 copo de mênta
2 colheres de sopa de suco de limão
2 pessegos ou nectarinas, em pedaços
1 copo de morangos fatiados ou amoras enteiras
1 copo de blueberries

1. Coloque o açucar e 1/2 copo de agua para ferver.  Deixe ferver durante 2 minutos.  Retire do fogo e acrescente a menta e o suco de limão.  Deixe ficar de infusão durante 15 minutos.

2.  Misture os pêssegos, morangos e as blueberries e adicione o xarope de açucar.  Cubra e leve para gelar.

 

Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Cookies Chocolate Chip Sabor Chá Earl Grey

 

Photos by Priscillakittycat, Recipe by DesignLoveFest blog

Can you think of that special treat that brings brightness to your eyes and a smile to your heart?  What is your weak spot when it comes to food?  Put a box of chocolate glazed Dunkin Donuts down a path where you think I might pass.  Even better if you throw in a chocolate-glazed with colored sprinkles on top.  Do that and wait.

It happened today.  My colleague and I were on our way to exchange our office keys when we saw the two boxes, one stacked on the other, on a small desk with a sign above it that read “Thank you for your hard work, Budget Team.”

We don’t even work for the budget team but that didn’t stop us.  The best part of opening the box is the moment before you open it.  I always say a little prayer to the food gods and hope there is a chocolate-glazed inside.  She slowly opened the box. There it was. The sole chocolate-glazed shining brightly among a variety of other “holy” options.

My colleague, the stronger and more disciplined member (a.k.a Zumba Queen) of this mischievous duo, slammed the box shut and said, “No, we can’t.  We have to be strong”.  “Shucks”, I thought.  We were about to walk away (I’d be back later, of course) when another colleague appeared and headed straight for the box.  “Ohhhh, no!” was my silent thought.  I pretended not to watch as she reached inside and grabbed something else.  My internal organs smiled.  “Thank you, food gods, for leaving it there.”

Dunkin Donuts might not impress you and now you might even begin to question my gourmet taste buds. Look, I live for Food & Wine Magazine’s delectable dishes but I die for Dunkin Donuts.  Guess what I found in the second box?  Hint:  It had colored sprinkles on top!

I hope you enjoy the recipe for Earl Grey Chocolate Chip Cookies, another dangerous road that leads to sin.   The recipe for these can be found on the DesignLoveFest blog.

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Qual é o seu ponto fraco?  Tem uma comida que, quando você vê, os seus olhos brilham?  Para mim esta comida é um donut da marca Dunkin Donuts.  Coloca um “Chocolate Glazed” no caminho por onde você acha provável que eu passe…e aguarde.  Certamente vou cair na armadilha. Hoje eu e uma colega de trabalho estavamos caminhando pelo corredor do prédio quando ví (de longe) duas caixas fechadas da Dunkin Donuts, uma em cima da outra.  Havia um bilhete de agradecimento ali perto.  “Obrigada pelo bom trabalho, Equipe Financeiro.”  Nos duas nem somos do departamento financeiro mas isso não nos impediu.

Antes da colega abrir a caixa rezei para os deuses da comida e pedi que dentro da caixa estivesse um Chocolate Glazed.  Ela abriu a caixa lentamente para fazer suspense.  “Ahh, maravilha!”  Eu já ia meter a mão para pegar o “meu” Chocolate Glazed mas a colega fechou a caixa rapidamente e disse, “Não podemos.  Temos que ser fortes”.  Fiz de conta que ela tinha razão e nós duas viramos as costas para ir embora.  Eu fui bolando um plano para voltar logo.  Nisso vimos uma moça quase que correndo em direção a caixa.  Soei frio.  “Aleluia”. O Chocolate Glazed sobrou.  Eu assume que sou fraca e despachei a colega.  Ela é feliz fazendo Zumba e eu sou feliz com um Chocolate Glazed de Dunkin Donuts.  Os Chocolate Chip Cookies sabor chá Earl Grey desta receita tambem podem fazer as pessoas perderem a força de vontade. A receita se encontra no blog DesignLoveFest.