Lovin' From the Oven

Avocado Salsa

by 2 Comments

avocadosalsa-4

If I could only have one fruit tree in my backyard, it’d be an avocado tree. I would eat guacamole all day… along with avocado smoothies, avocado pesto pasta, BLT sandwiches with avocado, and now avocado salsa. I could make every meal with avocados!

avocadosalsa

Also, it’s true what they say about California avocados. There’s simply nothing better. Hooray, another plus for living in California! My DF is surely missing out by not eating anything green.

The best avocados are available in the summer, which was when this salsa was made. I’m realizing how old my post queue is and I’m attempting to clean it out to keep my blog more up to date with current kitchen adventures. It’s actually works perfectly because this coming month is going to be one big whirlwind, leaving me with very little time to bake. Actually, I’m pretty sure this whole year is going to be like that.

avocadosalsa-5

Agenda for February: baby showers, older sister’s wedding, blog trip, celebrating birthdays, Hawaii (possibly?), and trying to get my work schedule off so I can make it to all of these events. I’m tired just thinking about it all. Before I know it, I’ll be boarding a plane to my honeymoon!

avocadosalsa-3

avocadosalsa-7

This really makes enough for 1-2 servings, so triple it if you must (and trust me, you must).

Print
Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

  • 1 large avocado, diced in chunks
  • 1 roma tomato, chopped
  • 3 stems cilantro, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons red onion, diced
  • juice of half a lime
  • juice of 1/4 lemon
  • dash of garlic salt
  • sprinkle of freshly cracked pepper

Directions

  1. Mash the avocados in a large bowl until smooth.
  2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in until well mixed.
https://lovintheoven.com/avocado-salsa/

Day 3: Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

by 1 Comment

cranberryoatmealcookies-4

Day 3 of my 12 days of cookies: Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I’m currently in Seattle at the moment and it’s so cold here that I feel like my fingers are going to fall off while typing this. How do people live in twenty degree weather? I met up with a dear friend for lunch and walked about a mile from my hotel to my favorite bakery here, Macrina.

cranberryoatmealcookies-6

The walk wasn’t bad, I always love walking around in this city. The cold didn’t hit me until the second half of the mile. My face started to go numb and my legs felt as if they were moving automatically. I couldn’t tell if I was walking or not anymore. Thank goodness for my headband because I’m sure my ears would have fallen off otherwise. Maybe I’m just being a baby, but it’s COLD in Seattle! I can only imagine the weather on the east coast right now.

cranberryoatmealcookies

My soon to be sister-in-law brought this pestle and mortar as a souvenir for us when they went on their cruise down to Mexico last year. I usually use it as a candy dish, but decided to actually use it for what it’s intended for: grinding and crushing! It took quite a bit of manpower to break down the oats, but I loved doing it. Sure, I could have used a food processor to get it done in a matter of seconds, but where’s the fun in that?

cranberryoatmealcookies-2cranberryoatmealcookies-3

The original recipe had normal oats, but I crushed mine to get a finer texture.

cranberryoatmealcookies-7cranberryoatmealcookies-5

This is a nice, thick cookie that reminds me of morning granola or trail mix bars. They’re packed with flavor and texture. Recipe comes from The Food Network.

Print
Day 3: Oatmeal, Cranberry, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups old fashioned oats, ground or pulsed in a food processor
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 (4-ounce) Ghiradelli 60 percent cacao bittersweet chocolate bar, chopped into 1/4-inch chunks

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Add the eggs and vanilla.
  3. Gradually mix in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
  4. Stir in the oats, cranberries and chocolate chunks.
  5. Drop the dough by rounded spoonfuls and bake for 8-10 minutes.
https://lovintheoven.com/oatmeal-cranberry-and-chocolate-chunk-cookies/

Naked Juice Smoothie

by 2 Comments

greensmoothie-6

You know how everyone’s been on a “green” juice or smoothie kick recently? Well, count me in. I’m a sucker for drinking my vegetables.

greensmoothie

I don’t own a Vitamix or a BlendTec like the rest of the food blogging world (I wish!). I have a little blender that I bought from Costco. Sure, it may not be as powerful, but it gets the job done with a little bit of shaking and stirring. It even ground up the spinach leaves to disappear into the smoothie! That’s all I ask.

greensmoothie-3
greensmoothie-2
As for the little dots in the pictures, it’s nothing other than chia seeds. I found them at Trader Joes and have been throwing them in everything– smoothies, bars, yogurt, cereal… they’re great! They don’t taste like anything, they just add a little texture.

greensmoothie-5

I hear there’s a technique and art to making airy, light smoothies. I still have yet to learn any of it because my method of “throwing everything into the blender and pulse vigorously” works for me.

Print
Naked Juice Smoothie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

  • handful of spinach
  • 1 banana, sliced and frozen
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup Power-C Machine Naked Juice
  • 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons flaxseed meal

Directions

  1. Blend everything together until you get your desired consistency.
https://lovintheoven.com/naked-juice-smoothie/

Categories