avocado Archives | FoodFash

Loaded Nachos with Avocado Cream

August 6, 2018 by Kristin

This avocado cream loaded nacho post is sponsored by FAGE Total Greek yogurt. All opinions included within this post are my own and based on my own experience.

Ever since Greek yogurt made an appearance on grocery store shelves, I’ve been a fan. Seriously, who can turn down thick, creamy, low-sugar yogurt? And it wasn’t much long after discovering Greek yogurt that I began using it as a substitution everywhere and anywhere. FAGE Total Greek yogurt was and is my go-to brand. The texture and flavor of FAGE is top notch and, beyond that, you can’t beat the simple, non-GMO ingredient list.

One of the easiest substitutions to make is replacing traditional sour cream withFAGE Total Greek yogurt. I’ve always used FAGE Total 2%, but love that FAGE Total comes in 5% {I’m all about good fat!}. It’s such a simple switch and, I find that, Greek yogurt has many more uses than sour cream so it’s always in my fridge. Nachos tonight, breakfast parfait tomorrow morning!

After years of sour cream swapping, I decided to get even more creative with Greek yogurt for savory dishes. Remember how I love good fat? Well I decided to add even more good fat to FAGE Total 2% by mixing it with avocados to create avocado cream {recipe below}. Avocado cream can be enjoyed solo as a chip or veggie dip or used to make nachos and quesadillas extra special.

My husband and daughter are now the biggest avocado cream fans. And my husband was super impressed with a dip/topping having so much protein and probiotics from the live active yogurt cultures. By the end of our loaded nacho dinner, he was already thinking of what we could make to incorporate avocado cream again.

I also enjoy getting our entire family’s input on ingredients for loaded nachos because they come out so much more impressive than when I make them on my own. My husband loves black olives and green onions and my step-daughter loves tomatoes – I’m typically a nacho purist and would have totally skipped over these ingredients!

Our loaded nachos ended up including: tortilla chips, Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, black beans, black olives, tomatoes, green onions, pickled jalapeños, cilantro, and avocado cream. My biggest nacho tip is to take the extra time to create one layer of chips, add layers of all of your toppings, and repeat until you reach your desired quantity/height. I layered all of the ingredients except for the cilantro and avocado cream and put the nachos in a 400 degree oven for approximately five minutes, until the cheese was melted and the chips were warm.

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Ancient Grains Poké

July 23, 2017 by Kristin

I’m always on the hunt for dishes where I can incorporate quinoa. Quinoa sushi, quinoa granola, quinoa with shrimp & kale – the FoodFash archives are filled with this protein and fiber packed grain. So when I received a shipment of Village Harvest’s Organic Benefit Blends, I couldn’t wait to dream up another quinoa dish that was special enough for one of these blends.

The perfect recipe came to mind after having poké bowls twice in one week {one on a bed of greens and the other on a bed of rice}. Why not recreate this classic Hawaiian dish at home with the Ancient Grains blend? Fresh seafood, raw veggies, and a blend of quinoa, millet, and buckwheat sounded like an incredibly refreshing, feel-good meal for the peak of summer.

An added bonus is that knowing Village Harvest’s background will also make you feel good. As a company, they define social sustainability to not only mean caring for our planet, but also their employees.

Village Harvest has pledged 1% of their profits to run programs that give back to the farmers and local communities from which they source their products.
Village Harvest has pledged to donate 1% of their employees’ time to charitable causes and sustainability efforts.

How wonderful is that!

I used the Ancient Grains blend for this recipe, but I’m willing to bet that the Antioxidant and Protein blends would be delicious in this recipe as well.

If you’re interested in these products and they aren’t available at your local store, please use this link to fill out a product request. Otherwise, all of the Organic Benefit Blends can be found at Village Harvest’s online shop. And shipping is free when you order eight bags.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Chipotle Layer Dip With Avocados & Green Chiles

September 6, 2015 by Kristin

Layer dip reminds me of the glory days of college. One of my roommates {and dearest friends}, Emily, would always whip up a batch on Gator gamedays. Her raw-tomato-free dip quickly became my favorite gameday thing, Sunday thing, Tuesday thing. It wasn’t uncommon to convince her to skip class, make dip, stay in PJs, pop in a John Cusack flick, and dominate an entire 8 x 11 tray. It was college. It was lazy. It was perfect.

Fast forward to adulthood, I still use Emily’s general formula for layer dip: beans, cheese, salsa in lieu of tomatoes, taco seasoning, green chiles, etc., etc.. From her, I learned not to commit myself to seven layers, but to layer only the good {to me} stuff.

So this weekend, to kick-off college football season, I made a layer dip with the things I’m craving lately: chipotle salsa and green chiles. It’s smoky, spicy, a little more adult than the college version, and I have no doubt that it’ll be a hit!

Goooooo Gators!!

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Gluten-Free Steak & Egg Quesadillas

September 3, 2015 by Kristin

When Mission Foods asked if I’d like to test out their gluten-free tortillas and create a recipe, I was pumped. I love quesadillas. Prior to blogging and social media, when there was no proof of meals enjoyed, more of my dinners were bean and cheese quesadillas than not. But as I got older, a combination of things happened {in addition to blogging} that changed how I ate. One of the more recent things is the ongoing back and forth between specialists to determine whether or not I have an autoimmune condition and their conflicting opinions regarding the affects of gluten on those who are in the increasingly popular autoimmune club. Without getting wayyy off track, I’ll leave it at.. I try to eat gluten-free as much as possible, but because I don’t have Celiac Disease, I’m not too hard on myself when life gets in the way.

Moving on back to quesadillas, I couldn’t bring myself to write a post about my beloved bean and cheese combo. And I tried mixing it up a little by adding shredded rotisserie chicken and some cumin and, although good, they just didn’t feel special enough to blog about. Then I thought about reuben quesadillas! And my roommate and officemate both made a “sick!” face. I’m still not convinced that a reuben quesadilla would be gross, but I decided it was best to move on {you should have seen their faces}.

Just as I was feeling completely out of ideas, I thought of steak and eggs with salsa verde and how I hadn’t seen that smushed between tortillas before – and that’s how this post was born. And the addition of caramelized onions, avocado, and fresh cilantro packed this quesadilla with enough nutrients and complexity to make them a meal.

I’m required to disclose a sponsored partnership between our site and Mission Foods. I have been compensated in exchange for this post in the form of payment, product or experiences.

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