Quick Apple-Bacon Guac

Guacamole is one of those comfort foods for me. It seems nourishing and refreshing at the same time. I like it simple, just fresh avocados with salt and pepper. Or I like it fancy, with tomatoes and sour cream and onion. The only way I don't really like it is sweet. (When I lived in Brazil, they always tried to serve me avocado mousse or avocado smoothies or even just sliced avocados with sugar on them. Sorry. Doesn't work for me.)

This one's got bacon, so how can it go wrong?? And apples too! The watery crunchy crispness of the apples contrasts perfectly with the soft, mellow avocados.

Ingredients:

3 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 avocados

1 firm apple, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Cut your avocados in half. Remove the pit and scoop out the flesh. Smash together.

Add the crumbled bacon and the apple slices.

Add salt and pepper if you so desire and serve with tortilla chips. Wha-la! You're done! Told you it was quick.

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Bacon-Potato Stacks

These are a fun bite-sized side dish that tastes like a baked potato. I used cotija cheese, but you could use cheddar or blue cheese.

Ingredients:

4-5 small red potatoes

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tsp olive oil

4 slices bacon, cooked

2 oz. cotija cheese

1/2 tomato, diced

2 T sour cream

2 T chives

Thinly slice the potatoes, discarding the ends. A mandolin works well for this if you have one. You should end up with about 50 slices.

Spray 18 muffin tins. combine the potato slices, black pepper, and oil in a bowl. Toss well to coat. Crumble the bacon. 

Press one potato slice into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with half the bacon and cheese. Repeat the layering, putting another potato slice on top, followed by the rest of the bacon and cheese. Top with the remaining potato slice.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. The longer you bake them, the crispier they get, so a lot of this depends on preference. Remove pans from oven and immediately remove stacks to a cooling rack.

Dice the tomatoes. Put a dollop of sour cream on each potato stack, sprinkle on the tomatoes and chives. Serve!

Tastefully,

Tamara

Grilled Salmon with Bacon Salsa and Potatoes

About once a week I try to make a really grand meal, the kind that we'd get at a restaurant, and therefore we can skip going to a restaurant that week. (Only works half the time. Often we end up with a grand meal and a restaurant night anyway.)

So this week I made grilled salmon and potatoes. The grill used to be very daunting for me, and I still feel it takes some work to make it do what I want. So once I have it fired up, I'm going all the way, man. Main dish, side dish, even dessert.

Oh, about dessert. You won't see it pictured here, even though we loved it, because Hubby gave me an idea to make it even better, and I can't wait to try it again. I'm going to make some changes and try it again, and if it turns out amazing, I'll post it here.

On to the main event. We'll start with the potatoes:

Grilled Potatoes

Ingredients:

3 large unpeeled baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 t salt

Combine oil, rosemary, garlic, and salt in a bowl.

Add potato slices and turn until well coated. Grill over medium heat or 300 degrees F for about 8 minutes. Turn and grill 10 more minutes. Remove from grill.

Meanwhile, prepare the salmon.

Ingredients:

4 - 6 salmon fillets

fresh thyme

2 slices thick bacon

1/2 C diced onions

1 T minced garlic

10 oz. can rotel (mild)

Season the salmon with salt and pepper and the thyme. Spray with canola oil. Sear on the grill on both sides. Place the salmon fillets in an aluminum tray. Place in an unheated section of the grill. Close the lid and cook for 15-20 more minutes or until done. (turn halfway through.) The meat should be opaque when cooked.

While the salmon cooks, prepare the bacon salsa. Cut the bacon into 1/4 inch slices and cook in a pan. When the fat has rendered, add the onions. Cook until the onions sweat, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and the tomatoes. Heat gently, simmering until most of the moisture evaporates.

Serve the salsa over the fish with the potatoes on the side. 

Tastefully,

Tamara