Fun with Avocados

My sweet mother came to visit me this past Sunday. Her mission was to turn my new apartment into a home. We hung pictures on the wall, went shopping for a coffee table, and she generally just gave a little feminine touch to my otherwise dingy man-cave. We had some successes, but there's still a lot of work to do. We did make it to the grocery store (newflower...my new favorite grocery store in the world) and she got food for my dad and her, but she left a few things behind to fill out the kitchen. One of which was 4 avocados. That's a lot of avocado for one person to eat on his own. Avocado #1 became some guacamole to eat nachos with. The second became an avocado omelete. very tasty. By the time the third avocado came I was at a loss as to what I should make. I had a bacon and avocado sandwhich last week...I didn't really want Mexican food...what do I do?!!? Well, I came up with the following salad that is a great way to use items you probably already have in your pantry.

Shrimp and Avocado Cold Stuffed Tomatoes
8-9 shrimp per person (21-25 count)
1 lemon
1 avocado per person
2 tomatoes per person
2 green onions
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
paprika
bay leaves
peppercorns
3 cloves garlic
vegetable oil

Begin by marinating shrimp. In almost all shrimp dishes I make, I marinate the shrimp in salt, oil, and garlic that has been put through a garlic press. Mix together and put in a ziploc bag in the fridge for a minimum of 30 mins.

Meantime, boil about a quart of water and add cayenne pepper, paprika, bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. This is going to be the boiling liquid for your shrimp. Let it simmer on the stove for a while to let the flavors marry.

Chop the whites of the green onions off and add to the water. Zest the lemon into a bowl and squeeze juice out. Add lemon halves to the water.

Add shrimp along with garlic to the simmering water and cook for about 2 minutes. Be sure to not overcook. remove from water and let cool in the fridge.

to the bowl of lemon, add chopped green onions, salt, pepper, a little cayenne and some paprika. Slice avocado in half and remove pit. Score avocado with the knife in a checkerboard pattern. Use a spoon to remove flesh which will now be in cubes. Add to lemon and onions. Chop shrimp into chunks similarly sized to the avocado. Add to avocado salad. Stir.

Cut tomatoes in half and scoop out seeds leaving only the outer flesh and skin. Scoop shrimp salad into tomato halves for a fun presentation.

This is a delicious salad that can be modified in many ways. Add balsamic and bacon to the recipe listed above for something a little more lively. Or maybe cilantro, lime, cumin, and chili powder for a mexican twist.

I found this to be a fun new way to use those avocados that you're worried about going bad in the next couple days.

xo,
Levi