Chicken and Avocado Sandwich

So, why is this blog called Loves Avocado you ask? It is super cheesy and a little lame. OK,  a lot lame.

When my husband and I were dating, I asked him what is favorite vegetable was. He said tomato (however, now that I think of it, isn't that a fruit? Whatever, we will pretend it is a vegetable). I said mine is avocado. Well, then I started calling him my "Cado" and he called me his "Mato."

I warned you of the cheesiness.

Last week, my husband and I saw David Guetta in concert at UNH. This was my Valentine's Day gift to my Cado and we had a blast. It was awesome despite the fact that we were 10 years older than pretty much everyone there and we missed the memo that we were supposed to wear white. So THAT is what Winter White Tour means lol. Nonetheless, we had a great time and danced all night. We <3 Guetta

I realized during the show that he looks a lot like Ellen DeGeneres

Totally! Right? Right?

Ok maybe just a little.

Anyway, we got home exhausted and way past our normal bedtime. My husband woke up in the middle of night with some sort of vicious stomach bug and stayed in bed for the next two days. He sipped on some chicken soup, orange juice and Pedialyte and hid himself under the covers.

So I opened the fridge and found cooked chicken breast that needed to be eaten ASAP and a couple avocado that I bought because they were on sale. I made this super yummy recipe in no time at all, which left me plenty of time to Lysol the whole house and dance around to David Guetta.

Chicken and Avocado Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 slices of whole wheat bread
1 chicken breast, cooked
1/2 avocado cut into slices
1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette
one slice of sharp cheddar cheese
handful of mixed greens

Directions:
Toast bread. Pile rest of ingredients between bread. Wrap sandwich in paper towel. Microwave for 15-20 seconds. Enjoy with a side of cherry tomatoes and the other half of the avocado.

Chicken Tikka Masala

This is one of me and my husband's favorite meals. It is from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook. Every so often when I find myself with a bunch of cilantro in the fridge I make this. I always keep some coconut milk and tikka paste in the pantry for when we get the craving for this dish. It is so delicious with a significant spicy kick. It warms you to the core. If you don't like spicy food, you may want to omit the chile since the tikka paste is a bit spicy on it's own. We add a hefty helping of plain greek yogurt on top to cut through the heat. My husband enjoys adding a huge pile of cilantro and mixing it in as well. Enjoy.

Chicken Tikka Masala
From Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Cookbook

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil or coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 fresh red chile, thinly sliced (I use jalapeno)
• 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, leaves removed, stems finely chopped
• 1/2 cup prepared tikka masala paste (I use Patak's)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch strips
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14-ounce) can of coconut milk
• plain yogurt

Directions:
Heat oil and butter in a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, chile, ginger, and chopped cilantro stems. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and golden, about 10 minutes. Add tikka paste and chicken; stir to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Serve in bowls topped with yogurt and cilantro leaves. Serve with rice.

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Roasted Chicken

Yesterday was one of those rare Sundays where we had nothing planned. No family events. The yard did not need tending to. The hubby didn't have to work from home. Ahhh it was nice to stay in lounging in my monkey sweat pants. We managed to catch up on other household stuff like tackle the mountain of laundry. While we did that, I roasted a chicken. I always buy a few whole chickens to freeze when I encounter a super sale. The Perdue bird I bought was about 4 pounds, cost 3 bucks and will feed us for two meals. Not too shabby! Remember to remove the giblets before roasting. You can use them to make some stuffing if you'd like. Also, if you sing to chicken like I do while washing it, the chicken comes out tastier. No joke.

I served the chicken with a side of roasted rosemary red-skinned potatoes and roasted buttercup squash.

Nothing like having a house smelling of fabric softener and roasted chicken :)

Roasted Chicken

Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients:
2 medium onions, sliced
2 tsps salt
2 tsps paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 large roasting chicken (with pop-up timer if possible)
1 cup of white wine
2 cups of chicken stock
1 lemon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place onions in a roasting pan. Remove chicken gibletss, rinse chicken, pat dry and place in roasting pan. Pour wine and stock into the pan. Mix all the spices and rub over the outside of the chicken. Try to get some inside the cavity as well as under the skin. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the cavity and then throw that lemon half into the cavity as well. Cut the other half of lemon into slices and place into cavity. Cover with lid or aluminum foil and bake for an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters. Every 30 minutes, baste chicken with pan juices. If using a meat thermometer, insert the thermometer into the inner thigh and it is cooked when it reads 165 degrees F. Remove and let stand covered for 15 minutes.

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Chicken Parmesan

Husband (between mouthfuls of food): So, are you going to to post this recipe on your blog?
Me: Nope
Husband: Why not? It is delicious.
Me: Yes, but it is too simple.
Husband: But it is delicious!
Me: I just quickly threw it together.
Husband: But you could inspire someone that has a limited amount of time. And it's delicious!!! (shovels more food into mouth).

I drove home from work last night and realized I had completely forgotten to go to the grocery store. I decided to go after I walked the dog. And when that was done, I realized all I wanted to do was put on my pjs and watch Top Chef. But we had to eat something. I pulled out some sauce and mozzarella cheese leftover from a pizza I made a couple days ago. I opened the freezer and found two lonely chicken breasts in a sea of ice cream containers and frozen veggies. I defrosted the chicken breasts, split them, pounded them, breaded them, stuck them on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and baked for about 25 minutes. Then I made pasta. I put the chicken breasts in a casserole dish with sauce and cheese and baked until bubbly and voila, dinner served. A super easy and no-fry version of chicken parmesan.

Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients
Two chicken breasts, split lengthwise, and pounded thin
One cup of Italian style breadcrumbs
One egg, beaten
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
Jarred tomato space
Box of spaghetti, preferably angel hair, because it is my favorite

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Dip chicken pieces in eggs and allow excess to drip off. Coat chicken in breadcrumbs until  uniformly covered. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet (I used olive oil). Cook for 20- 25 minutes, turning half way. Make pasta per box directions. In a casserole dish, add one cup of sauce and distribute evenly. Add chicken. Add some sauce and mozarella cheese on top of each breast. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake until bubbly, approximately 15 minutes. Serve over pasta.

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Chicken Cacciatore

Autumn is settling in. It is the time for snuggling on the couch in your sweat pants and hoodie sweatshirt, showing off your poofy slippers and sipping on gourmet (or Swiss Miss) hot chocolate.


I love this recipe. It is so easy and super yummy. Perfect for when you just want to sit on the couch watching the Food Network.


This is a Giada recipe. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with a Giada recipe. Plus, I want to be her neighbor. I know she would invite me over for lunch. We would sip Shiraz, eat canapés and tell stories of studying in Paris. I don't believe I have ever eaten a canapé. I don't believe I have studied in Paris. I do like to sip Shiraz though. 


FYI, canapé comes from the French word for couch. That's right folks. I am bringing it full circle. That is just how I roll.

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Chicken Cacciatore
From Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
2 chicken breasts with skin and backbone, halved crosswise
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 cup all purpose flour, for dredging
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 ( 28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons drained capers
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves

• Directions

Sprinkle the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of each salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour to coat lightly.

In a large heavy saute pan, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and saute just until brown, about 5 minutes per side. If all the chicken does not fit in the pan, saute it in 2 batches. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic to the same pan and saute over medium heat until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, broth, capers and oregano. Return the chicken pieces to the pan and turn them to coat in the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Continue simmering over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30 minutes for the breast pieces, and 20 minutes for the thighs.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. If necessary, boil the sauce until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat from atop the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the basil and serve.