Will It Grill? Avocados and Another Super Salad

Will it Grill?

You may have seen some of the unusual things that blend on the Will it Blend? videos. Turns out, you get some pretty interesting results when you put things like footballs, marbles, Glow Sticks, and a new 3G iPhone into a blender (some blend, some not so much).

Inspired, I decided to start my own series of experiments -- Will it Grill?

I tried steak (yes), watermelon (yes), ice cream (nope), cereal (depends - Kashi yes, but Fruit Loops exploded into a multicolored fire ball), and avocados (yes).

The avocados were excellent. If you want to find out for yourself, here's how to grill an avocado:

1. Select a ripe yet somewhat firm avocado and slightly chill it.
   
2. Cut it in half and remove the pit. Brush it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
   
3. Place it right away on a medium-high grill flesh-side down for about 60 seconds. Grill marks should be present, and the flesh should be lightly caramelized yet intact.
4. Eat immediately.
   

The results are much more gratifying than you might imagine: the avocado flesh becomes irresistibly creamy and caramelized and is infused with a wonderfully smoky flavor. You can eat it plain, drizzle with a little lime juice and cayenne pepper, or douse with some Tabasco sauce and chopped cilantro.

You could also add it to this spicy Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad, the third Satisfying Super Salad in my series. What's so super about this salad? It's high in protein, fiber, and monounsaturated fats, which means you'll stay full longer and eat less afterward.

With chewy shrimp, silky avocado and crunchy jicama, it's highly textured, which makes it satisfying to eat. And for the really good news: each serving is approximately 300 calories, has 13 grams of protein, 15 grams of fat (from good-for-you monounsaturated olive oil and avocado) and virtually no sodium. Learn more about why avocados are good for you.

Tomorrow I am going to try to grill the remote control for the TV (please don't tell Jeff).



Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Makes 4 servings
Print recipe only here.

Salad:
16 extra large or jumbo shrimp, cleaned and deveined
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon lime juice
salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

8 cups spicy mesclun mix
1/2 cup sliced jicama
1/2 cup mini heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved

2 small avocados, halved and pitted
a bit of olive oil for brushing
the juice of half a lime for sprinkling
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
pinch of lime zest
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste

Preheat a grill outdoors or a grill pan for indoors.

Add ingredients from cleaned shrimp through cayenne pepper into either a large Ziploc bag or a plastic container, shaking well. Refrigerate for 20-30 while preparing the rest of the salad.

Add mesclun to a large bowl with diced jicama and halved cherry tomatoes.

For the dressing, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade; place 4 shrimp per skewer. Grill for 2 minutes, flipping once, or until the meat is opaque and the outside is lightly charred.

When grilling, use ripe yet somewhat firm avocados. If they're too squishy, then they won't retain their shape well. Slice avocados in half and remove the pits. Brush avocado flesh with a little olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Since avocados oxidize, or turn brown quickly, don't slice them until you are ready to place them on the grill.) Place avocados flesh side down on a hot grill for 1 minute. Grill marks should be present, and the flesh should be slightly caramelized.

To grill indoors, preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Rub a thin coat of olive oil on the pan so the avocados won't stick. Place avocados flesh side down on the grill for 1 minute. Grill marks should be present, and the flesh should be slightly caramelized.

Pour the dressing on the salad (reserving a few spoonfuls to drizzle on top) and toss to coat well. Divide salad among 4 plates, and top each with 4 grilled shrimp and a grilled avocado half. Drizzle with the reserved dressing and serve immediately.

You might also like:

Asian Noodle Salad with Tofu and Mango (Satisfying Super Salad #1)




Chipotle Barbecue Bean and Corn Salad (Satisfying Super Salad #2)




Watercress, Avocado, and Orange Salad





Apple, Fennel, and Celery Salad





Here are more avocado recipes perfect for summer time:

• Julie's Summer Chicken Salad with Raspberries, Avocado and a Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Marta's Salad of Red Cabbage, Peppers, Mango, Avocado, and Almonds
  
• Nuria's Potato, Avocado, and Salmon Salad

I'm sending my grilled avocados to Sig of Live to Eat who has chosen Grill It! for this month's Monthly Mingle, started by Meeta of What's for Lunch, Honey?

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What's Better Than Desert Wildflowers? Shrimp Tacos, That's What.

Ever since we moved to Southern California five years ago, every spring we hear the same chorus: “You’ve got to go to Anza-Borrego. They have the most gorgeous wildflowers you’ve ever seen.”

Every spring Jeff tries to convince me to drive the 2 ½ hours to see them, and every spring I find some excuse not to. It’s not the drive (I love driving). It’s just that we have flowers everywhere we look here. Plus, I'm a fall foliage girl.

Two weekends ago, however, San Diego was all abuzz about this being the BEST wildflower season since 2005 (because of our unusually high rainfall-- a whopping 4.43 inches since last July). Jeff asked again, and I just couldn't say no. So we packed a lunch, grabbed our maps, and drove to Anza Borrego Desert State Park.

Apparently every person within the San Diego county limits decided to go to Anza-Borrego that day too. After waiting in line at the visitors’ center for nearly 30 minutes, a park ranger told us, “It’s a sea of brilliant color out there. Almost as good as 2005! You guys definitely picked the right day.” Jeff flashed me a big smile and said, “See, we picked the right day!”

We followed his directions and ended up on a dusty, dirt road. Jeff hopped out of the car, and said, “Wow! Look at those purple flowers!”

“You mean the weeds?” I said.

“They’re not weeds, they’re wildflowers. Look at them all!” he said.

“They look like weeds,” I said.

Anza-Borrego is technically a desert, which in my translation means sand with weeds in it. Based upon the “oohs” and “aahs” I was hearing, and the obscene number of Nikon D80's snapping pictures, it seems I was the only one not impressed.

So I went along: “Ooh, look at all those purple weeds.”

OK, I admit, there were some lovely flowers, but the best part of the day was the ride home. We stopped at an orange and grapefruit grove where we bought a 15-pound bag of freshly picked navel oranges for $3 and a 15-pound bag of pink grapefruits for $4! Fresh fruit at a bargain price—it just doesn’t get better. I was very impressed.



The scenery was spectacular; we finally saw the “sea of brilliant colors” we were promised, and it was awe-inspiring. We even spotted a few idyllic farms.

We ended the day with a simple, delicious meal of shrimp tacos with citrus-avocado salsa. Our fresh sweet oranges and tart grapefruits were tossed with creamy local avocados (from Terri, who you’ll learn more about in a later post) and sprinkled on top of spicy, crispy shrimp tacos. I took one bite and declared, “Now this was worth 5 hours of driving.”

Shrimp Tacos with Citrus-Avocado Salsa
Makes 4 servings
Print recipe only here.

Salsa:
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
3 scallions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 ruby red or pink grapefruit, peeled, de-seeded, and diced
1 navel orange peeled, de-seeded, and diced
1/4 cup peeled jicama, diced
1 avocado, diced and sprinkled with lime juice to prevent discoloration
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon minced jalapeno pepper (without seeds)
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Tacos:
24 extra large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil, for searing shrimp
juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 flour or corn tortillas

To make the salsa, simply combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and toss gently until well combined.

Place the shrimp in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well to coat and set aside for 5-10 minutes.

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook 5 to 6 minutes, turning to ensure that they brown evenly on both sides. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime over the shrimp and sprinkle with cayenne pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Remove to a plate when cooked.

To assemble tacos, heat tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 minute per side or, using metal tongs, simply hold over an open flame until warmed and slightly charred. Place three shrimp on each tortilla; serve with salsa and extra fresh cilantro for garnish. Serve immediately.

You might also like these citrus-y dishes:

• Wild arugula and blood orange salad with proscuitto
• Sicilian salad of fennel, oranges, and olives
  
• Mexican citrus salad with orange-lime vinaigrette
  
• Kona Kampachi with Meyer lemon-thyme butter
  
• Honeyed orange ginger muffins
  
• Italian Easter rice pie (with Meyer lemon)
• Warm citrus and banana cups
  

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