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Creamy Avocado Gazpacho with Spicy Croutons

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+ Creamy Avocado Gazpacho with Spicy Croutons inspired by Tori Richie from Appetite for Adventure on The Food Network +

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There is nothing better on a hot summer day than a cool, refreshing gazpacho! What is gazpacho? It’s a cold soup that is typically made with pureed vegetables or even fruit. It is fresh, clean and so delicious! Here is my take on Tori Richie’s Avocado Gazpacho recipe…

Creamy Avocado Gazpacho with Spicy Croutons
 
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A creamy and light cold soup that your friends and family will love!
Author:
Recipe type: soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2 large cucumbers - peeled & seeded
  • 3 avocados
  • 2 limes - juiced
  • ½ cup vegetable stock
  • 1 small jalapeño - seeded and chopped
  • 3 green onions - white and green
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • olive oil
  • 4-5 grape tomatoes - diced
  • ¼ cup queso fresco - crumbled
  • 4 large slices of crusty bread or pumpernickel bread
  • ½ stick of butter
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Clean and prep all your veggies and roughly chop each one. Add the cucumber, avocado, lime juice, vegetable stock, jalapeño, green onion, salt, cumin, chili powder and pepper to the jar of a blender. Blend until pureed. If the mixture is too thick, you can add more vegetable stock until you reach your desired consistency.
  2. Chill in the refrigerator for a least 30 minutes.
  3. For the spicy croutons... Cut bread into small bite sized pieces. Place in a 450˚ oven for 10 minutes.
  4. Melt butter and add chili powder, cumin, crushed Mexican oregano and salt.
  5. Remove croutons from oven and drizzle with butter mixture and toss to coat.
  6. Put croutons back into the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool.
  8. When you are ready to serve the gazpacho, place the soup in small bowls, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and top with spicy croutons, diced tomatoes and crumbled queso fresco.

Fiesta Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail

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+ Fiesta Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail recipe inspired by Marcela Valladolid from The Food Network’s Mexican Made Easy +

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This is a fun new take on your basic shrimp cocktail and it’s super easy to make. The recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Food Network Chef’s Marcela Valladolid from  The Kitchen and Mexican Made Easy Fame.  I of course had to put a little WhipperBerry spin on it. Instead of poaching the scallops, I actually pan seared my scallops and then chilled them. It added a little more depth to the flavor of the scallop and I love it. Also, rather than starting from scratch with my cocktail sauce, I use a commercially prepared cocktail sauce as my base and then doctored it with some of Marcela’s ingredients. Here’s the recipe…

Fiesta Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail
 
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Surprise your guests with this fun and spicy to take on the classic shrimp cocktail!
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail off)
  • 8 large sea scallops
  • 3 cups cocktail sauce
  • 1 large lime (juiced)
  • ½ of a serrano chili (finely diced)
  • ¼ teaspoon of Tabasco Soy Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl or large canning jar, mix your cocktail sauce, lime juice, serrano chili, and spicy Tabasco soy sauce. Mix well, cover and let chill in the refrigerator for a least 30 minutes.
  2. Prepare scallops by rinsing gently with cold water, removing the "foot" a little flap that you will find on the side of the scallop. Just pull it off and discard. Completely dry the scallops and set on paper towel to absorb any moisture.
  3. In a skillet, add olive oil and set over high heat. Once the pan it hot, add the scallops and turn down the heat to medium high.
  4. Let the scallop cook for 2 minutes or until seared (brown) on one side and then flip over to sear the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Let cool and then store in an air tight container with a paper towel at the bottom, in the refrigerator until chilled and ready to use.
  5. When ready to serve, cut the scallops in half and place in a medium sized bowl. Add the shrimp making sure they are rinsed, dried and tail removed, into the bowl. Cover with cocktail sauce and combine. Place in serving cups with a small stock of celery to garnish.

Chocolate Cherry Pudding Pops + Gluten and Dairy Free

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+ This gluten-free dairy-free Chocolate Cherry Pudding Pops recipe post brought to you by Silk +

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Nothing makes my summer heart happier than when the cherries finally come into season. Yep, I’m one of those girls that will always run for the cherry flavored ANYTHING the first chance that I get. The lack of tiny little seeds that get caught in my teeth first drew me in when I was a kiddo. Don’t get me wrong I’m an equal opportunity berry lover as well. I adore strawberries and raspberries, but my hear belongs to my favorite cherry. (Yes, I know… Cherries aren’t technically berries. I just tend to lump them in the same group. They are actually from the prune family and are called drupes. Go look it up. Drupe just doesn’t roll off the tongue like berry does.)

When my father introduced the idea of chocolate covered cherries when I was little, I nearly died and floated off to cherry heaven. I’ve spent many of Christmases as a kiddos curled up in a chocolate cherry sugar coma. It was my Dad’s favorite Christmas treat, so I guess the apple doesn’t fall to far from the tree. I was always the first in line when that special box came out. I was a puppy dog really following him around awaiting the spoils from my master.

Needless to say, I have grown up with a love for the flavor combination of chocolate and cherry. Remind me… One of these days, I need to post my Chocolate Cherry Cake for you guys. It’s mind blowing!!

Now, with the new summer crop, I was hoping to have my favorite flavor combination but in a bit of a healthier way. I thought, why not make a gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cherry pudding pop? Pudding’s not dairy-free you say… Well, if you mix your pudding with Silk Soy Milk it certainly is!

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Not only that but you are adding plant protein power to your popsicles! Here’s how I made them…

First, I washed and prepped my cherries by pitting them and cutting them into quarters. I took 2 cups of Chocolate Silk Soy Milk and whisked in 3-4 tablespoons of pudding powder mix. I placed the cherries, roughly about three cherries per pop, into the popsicle mold. Then I poured the Silk Pudding mixture into the mold. I used my Zoku so it went super quick, only 7 minutes. If you are doing it the traditional way, place your pops into the freezer for at least 4 hours.

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The kiddos and I enjoyed this scrumptious summer treat and man, were they good. The cherry chunks were tasty mixed in with the chocolate pudding base, I couldn’t be happier.

Are you a Silk fan? Are you looking for more ways to use Silk Soy, Almond or Coconut Milk in your diet? You need to visit Silk’s Facebook Page for all kinds of recipes and ideas for ways to add more plant protein power to your diet. You can even sign up for the Silk fan club and receive coupons and fun ideas right in your inbox. Total score!

What kinds of frozen treats would you like to make with Silk? Leave a comment with your fun summer treat idea!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

Spicy Italian Sandwich + a Chance to WIN $25,000

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+ This Spicy Italian Sandwich recipe is brought to you by Mezzetta and their Make That Sandwich Contest+

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I would venture to say that we are all, to a certain extent, sandwich lovers. We all have different tastes, one may gravitate to the peanut butter and jelly region while others live on the wild side with a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich using four cheeses that neither one of us can pronounce along with a fig spread. No matter what end of the spectrum you are on, you have to admit that some days a good ole’ sandwich can really hit the spot!

Now, there are days when a plain Jane ham and cheese is what will ring your bell and then there are those days that plain Jane just won’t do! That’s when you need a little kick, something a little extra special. On those days for me, I crave my Spicy Italian Pressed Picnic Sandwich with all kinds of goodies from the family of Mezzetta products.

I love spicy, I love flavor and this sandwich really hits the spot when I am in that spicy mood! What do you like to make when the sandwich mood hits you? I grab a few of my favorite Mezzetta goodies like their Savory Garlic Everything Spread, (for the record, this is my new favorite spread EVER!) Their Chicago Style Italian Sandwich Mix, Roasted Red Bell Pepper and then I top it off with some tangy olives. Kalamata and Jalapeño Stuffed Green Olives for an extra kick. What do you like to create with? Did you know the folks at Mezzetta are hosting a sandwich making contest?

Are you ready to put your sandwich making skills to the test? For $25,000 I think it’s totally time to get your sandwich on! Visit Mezzetta for all the details on the Make that Sandwich Contest.

Now, if I could enter the contest… Here’s what I think would be a tasty recipe.

My simple, yet tasty Spicy Italian Pressed Picnic Sandwich. Here’s how you make it. You will need some good Ciabatta bread, cut it in half length wise.

Now this sandwich is packed full of all kinds of goodies so, I pull some of the bread out of the center of the Ciabatta slices to make more room. Then I spread the sandwich liberally with Mezzetta Garlic Savory Everything Spread. I then top one side of the sandwich with Mezzetta Chicago Style Italian Sandwich Mix and some Roasted Red Bell Pepper.

Then on the other side of the sandwich, I layer some Genoa salami, ham and some Havariti cheese. I also top it with some fresh basil from my garden.

I then close the sandwich and wrap it with wax paper…

… And then I place something heavy on top to press the sandwich. Let it press for 5 minutes or so and then put in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.

These sandwiches are PERFECT for picnics or traveling. They keep really well and actually taste a little better after the bold flavors have had time to marry.

Soooo, what are you going to make for The Make That Sandwich Contest? What bold flavor combinations will you come up with?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mezzetta. The opinions and text are all mine.