A: Avocado

I love love love avocado. I used to hate it, but one day I discovered its rich goodness. When mom tells you that your taste changes as you get older, she is for reals. I now at avocado on everything: black beans, sandwiches, toast, etc. So here is one of my favorite recipes, from the amazing food blog fresh365. Enjoy.

Mango-Avocado Salad with Black Beans and Lime Vinaigrette

adapted from Whole Foods . serves 4

2 ripe avocados, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
3 T lime juice
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 t grated lime zest
1/2 t salt
1/4 t sugar (or agave nectar)
2 T chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
4 T olive oil
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
freshly ground black pepper, to taste


In a medium bowl, toss mango and jalapeño with 1 T lime juice and salt. Add avocado and gently toss to combine. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining lime juice, zest, sugar, cilantro and oil. Toss the black beans with the vinaigrette. To assemble, spoon the black beans with vinaigrette into the center of a serving platter. Top with the mango-avocado mixture. Garnish with chopped cilantro and black pepper.

Banana Oatmeal Pancakes

I found this pancake recipe, and it was amazing. I love it. And besides wanting to share it with everyone, I was too lazy to write it down and knew that I would always be able to find it on my blog. Enjoy.

• 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 banana, mashed

1. Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Yummy Ummy Recipes #1

Here is a recipe for The Absolute Tastiest Salsa Ever! It's one of my favorites and a staple in my diet. I make it a lot and I like to think that it is healthy. Vegetables are always good, right? And I use light dressing, so its all good.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can of fiesta corn, drained
1 can of Rotell tomatoes, drained
some cilantro
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 Tablespoon of lime juice

Mix it all together and refrigerate for a couple hours to let all the flavors meld together. Yum Yum!