Broiled Tilapia Gyros

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Fish:
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Tzatziki:
3/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced

Remaining ingredients:
4 (2.75-ounce) Mediterranean-style wheat flatbreads (such as Toufayan)
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 12 thin slices
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 small English cucumber, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler.

2. To prepare fish, brush fish with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness.

3. To prepare tzatziki, combine yogurt and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor or blender; pulse until smooth.

4. Spread 2 tablespoons tzatziki in the center of each flatbread. Divide fish evenly among flatbreads. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons onion, 3 avocado slices, 2 tomato slices, and about 6 cucumber slices; fold in half.

Comments:
A couple steps, but overall not too hard. I left some stuff out, but it seemed to be ok. Of course, I don't know firsthand, but Adam didn't complain!

Jalapeno, Avocado, and Bacon Burgers

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
6 jalapeño chiles
6 slices bacon
3 pounds ground beef chuck
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) crumbled queso fresco
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 avocados, pitted and thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
6 hamburger buns, split

Directions:
1. Preheat a grill to medium and place a cast-iron skillet on top. Add the chiles and cook until softened and the skin is charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover and let cool slightly. Remove and discard the stems, skin and seeds; finely chop the chiles.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in the skillet until crisp. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat; chop the bacon.

3. In a large bowl, combine the chopped bacon, the reserved bacon fat, the beef and half of the chiles. Form into 6 patties; season with salt and pepper.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the queso fresco, mayonnaise, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the remaining chiles. Season with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate.

5. In another bowl, toss the avocados, cilantro, onion and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil; set aside.

6. Grill the burgers, flipping once, for about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Just before the burgers are finished cooking, grill the buns until toasted, about 1 minute. Place a burger on each bun bottom, top with some of the avocado salad, drizzle with some of the queso fresco dressing and set a bun top in place.

Comments:
These take some time to assemble and there are a bunch of parts. I skipped the grill completely and did the whole thing inside on the stove (I charred the jalapeno under the broiler since our range is electric.) The burgers are really moist (and huge) and a little spicy for my liking. Adam liked them and the queso sauce. Neither of us really dug the onion/avocado mix. I don't know that I'd make this again in this incarnation, but perhaps a variation.

Carne Asada Taco with Avocado Pico de Gallo

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 medium)
1 (1-pound) skirt steak, trimmed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cooking spray
1 cup diced seeded plum tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon diced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup diced avocado (about 1 medium)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 corn tortillas
Lime wedges (optional)

Directions:
1. Combine 1/4 cup juice and steak in a shallow dish. Sprinkle cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and red pepper over both sides of steak. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours.

2. Heat grill pan over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand at least 10 minutes. Cut steak into 1/2-inch pieces.

3. Combine tomato and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a bowl. Gently stir in avocado and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

4. Heat tortillas over gas flame 15 seconds on each side or until charred on edges. Divide steak evenly among tortillas. Top with pico de gallo. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Comments:
Adam cooked the meat on the grill outside, our avocado was questionable so I tossed it, but other than that I pretty much stuck to the plan (minus the cilantro, flour tortillas rather than corn.) It was too spicy for me, but Adam loved it. Typical.

Cobb Style Rice Bowls

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
8 slices bacon
1 bunch kale (8 ounces), stemmed and thinly sliced (4 packed cups)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
5 cups cooked brown rice
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 cup shelled sunflower seeds

Directions:
In a large, heavy skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes; transfer to a paper towel and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the grease. Add the kale and 3 tablespoons water; cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat until tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 8 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar and remaining 1 teaspoon salt until dissolved; stir into the rice.

To serve, divide the rice among 4 bowls and layer with the kale, tomatoes, avocado, bacon and sunflower seeds.

Comments:
Adam had considered making this a while ago for one of his "Adam Cooks" nights but opted for ribs instead. So I made it instead. My avocado wasn't ripe so I left that out. This is pretty good. I wasn't so sure about the kale, but it's not bad. I'm thinking the fact that it steams in bacon drippings couldn't have hurt...

Southwest Eggrolls

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
2/3 cup frozen corn, thawed
2/3 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
5 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
20 egg roll wrappers
Oil for deep-fat frying

DIP:
1 cup ranch salad dressing
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and mashed
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon grated lime peel

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Place 1/4 cup of chicken mixture in the center of one egg roll wrapper. (Keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp paper towel until ready to use.) Fold bottom corner over filling. Fold sides toward center over filling. Moisten remaining corner with water; roll up tightly to seal. Repeat.

In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry egg rolls, a few at a time, for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, combine the dip ingredients. Serve with egg rolls.

Comments:
I was so impressed with myself. The only thing I left out of this recipe was the cilantro. I even got a fresh lime to zest. Wow! I ended up with 12 eggrolls rather than 20, but I have a feeling I skimped on the amount of chicken. I just cooked up a couple of breasts on the George Foreman and guesstimated. Overall, pretty good. A little spicy for my tastes, and Adam didn't dig the sauce.