Avocado Salad with Tomatoes, Lime, and Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette

Salad Ingredients:

• 4 large ripe tomatoes (or 20 cherry tomatoes)
• 2 ripe large Hass avocados
• 1 large red onion
• 2 cups arugula leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• Toasted Cumin Vinaigrette

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup avocado oil
• Redmond's Real Salt
• McCormack's Peppercorn Medley

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch chunks (or halve the cherry tomatoes) and set aside.  Halve the avocados, remove the pit, scoop the sides out and cut into 1-inch chunks and set aside.  Peel and thinly slice the onion, separating out the curved pieces, and set aside.  Lightly toast the cumin seeds and set aside.

[Do not use a blender to make this vinaigrette.]  Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, honey, cumin, and cilantro in a medium bowl.  Gradually whisk in the oils until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Gently mix the tomatoes, avocados, onions, arugula, and half of the vinaigrette in a large bowl. Check for seasoning and add more vinaigrette, if needed. Sprinkle the cumin and cilantro over the top and serve immediately.

Myrtle's Note:  I actually served this without the arugula and it was very, very well-received.  Other than not having the arugula, I swapped out one of the oils for avocado oil, since this is a recipe with avocados.  You end up with extra vinaigrette so you can have the salad a second day or use the vinaigrette with another salad.  My guests thought this had a very Mediterranean flavor.

Yield:  Serves 4

Source:  http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/avocado-salad-with-tomatoes-lime-and-toasted-cumin-vinaigrette.html

Chili Spiced Steak (for tacos or salad)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (or regular chile powder)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or chipotle chile pepper)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In a large shallow bowl, mix the spices, salt, peppers, lime juice, and olive oil.  Place the flank steak in the marinade and flip several times to thoroughly coat the steak.  Cover with plastic wrap an allow to marinate for one hour at room temperature.

Preheat your grill to high temperature (700 degrees).  Cook the steak for 3-5 minutes per side (on my propane grill 3 minutes made for a rare-in-the-center steak).  Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

Cut the steak in smaller portions with the grain, 2-3 depending on length.  Rotate and cut thin strips against the grain.


Myrtle's Note:  I replaced the ancho chile powder with regular chili powder and the chipotle chili powder with chipotle chili pepper.  I also increased the cumin and coriander because I thought it needed a bit more.  And I changed the type and increased the amount of brown sugar to better balance all the other ingredients.  Finally, this is a recipe for skirt steak, but I made with flank steak.  Either steak will work well.

The original recipe contains a link to a cilantro cream sauce that looks tasty ... if you like cilantro, which I do not!

As for eating instructions, I had it as tacos, but think that the flavoring would also be tasty on a salad.  I tried to reduce the sauce, as I did for the recipe, but reducing it was a dismal failure, not even to be salvaged by mixing the sticky paste with sour cream.

For the record, having cooked both, I prefer flank steak to skirt steak.


Servings:  4-6


Adapted from:  http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/06/chili-spiced-skirt-steak-tacos.html

Grilled Nectarine Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 whole Nectarines
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus a bit more
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• Sea salt
• McCormack® Peppercorn Medley
• Mixed salad greens 
• 2 ounces, weight Gorgonzola (or other blue cheese)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or slivered almonds)

Directions:

Brush nectarine halves with olive oil, which will help prevent burning. Grill cut side down for 2-3, turning midway for crossed grill marks if arranging rather than layering the salad.  Turn over and grill another 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together Dijon, vinegar, and honey. Then, whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix once more.

[If using, toast slivered almonds in a small skillet over medium-low heat until just turning golden brown.]

You can either toss all the greens in a bowl with dressing or built the salad on a plate and allow folk to dress their salad to taste.  There will be left-over dressing.  If tossing, also put in sunflower seeds or almonds.  

On the plate, layer greens, seeds/nuts, crumbled cheese, and cubed nectarines.  Alternatively, pile the greens in the center, with the nectarine on one side (uncut) and pile of cheese next to it.
Myrtle's Note:  I like to have a salad as a meal, so I basically changed this from four servings to two.  I am not a slivered almond sort of girl, so I substituted the sunflower seeds.  And, finally, my cousin suggested that I could have used goat's cheese, as a substitute, given the cost of Gorgonzola.  Whilst I the lower cost is appealing, I think the Gorgonzola is the better option.  The bread was made by a friend of mine, and I topped it with roasted garlic butter.  I build salads using the layer method.  Follow the link to see the artfully-arranged method!

Yield:  2-4


Source:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2014/01/grilled-nectarine-salad/