Joyful Cooking - Guacamole Grilled Cheese and Southwestern Quinoa

Hello Fellow Thrifters and Friends,

   This week we enjoyed some really yummy healthier lunch choices. We love Guacomole and we love grilled cheese. The two combined is a wonderful combo into this yummy Guacamole Grilled Cheese. 

ingredients:

To make the guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
1/2 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small jalapeño, stems and seeds removed, minced
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
A dash of freshly grated black pepper
1 Roma tomato, chopped

4 slices crusty white bread
4 slices Cheddar cheese
Butter, for buttering bread

directions:

1. To make the guacamole-cut avocados in half. Remove seed. Scoop out avacado from the peel, put in a large bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Add the chopped tomato and stir.

2. Heat a pan or griddle to medium-high heat. Spread desired amount of guacamole on both slices of bread then top with cheese. Butter outer slices of bread and grill on one side for about 2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Flip the sandwich and grill until golden brown. Make the other sandwich the same way and serve warm.

 A yummy pairing with this sandwich is a Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Southwestern Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Red Bell Pepper, and Cilantro

Salad Ingredients: 

3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed if needed, check the package)

1 1/2 cup water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 red bell pepper, chopped into small dice

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:

2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice

1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but highly recommended)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground Ancho chile pepper (or use regular chile powder if you don't have Ancho)fresh ground black pepper to taste1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Check the quinoa package to see if it needs to be rinsed (it often does) and rinse in a fine-mesh strainer if needed.  Combine quinoa, water, and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.  Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool while you prep other ingredients.

Drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears.  Let beans drain until they are quite dry (or pat dry with paper towels if you want to speed it up.)

Cut out the stem and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and cut into very small dice (about the size of the black beans.)  Slice the green onions into thin slices and wash, dry, and chop the cilantro.

When the quinoa is fairly cool, combine quinoa, black beans, diced red bell pepper, and sliced green onion in a bowl.  Add enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients.  (You probably won't need all the dressing, but save the extra to stir into any leftover salad that's been in the fridge.)  Gently stir in the chopped cilantro and serve.

This keeps very well in the fridge for several days.  The salad absorbs the dressing when it's refrigerated, so it's best with a little more dressing stirred in when you're eating the leftover salad.

ENJOY SOME FRESH EATS!

Smiles,

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