Guacamole Night with Piedra Azul Tequila

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A few weeks ago, I was contacted and offered a very difficult proposition to participate in a Dip and Sip Challenge. Basically, I had to make cocktails with Piedra Azul Tequila and compete in a guacamole challenge judged by Gaby Dalkin (Blogger at What's Gaby Cooking and Author of Absolutely Avocados). Did I say difficult? I meant delicious.

I promptly got on it and set up a Mexican night with some friends of ours. I brought the tequila (which was provided by Piedra Azul) and cocktail ingredients, some guacamole ingredients (courtesy of a Whole Foods gift card provided by What's Gaby Cooking), and my good old happy spirit. My girlfriend prepared a taco bar, quesadillas, and some taquitos.

When we arrived, the first order of business was cocktail making. My only guideline was to use the Piedra Azul Tequila we were provided, so I had carte blanche with other ingredients. Looking for something light and refreshing, I decided to create cucumber margaritas.

Before arriving, I juiced a few cucumbers to make sure we had the nutrients to combat the alcohol. I ended up with a huge bottle of cucumber juice. Keep in mind that you can easily use any pure juice in this recipe - so if you'd prefer Pomegranate Margaritas, just use Pomegranate juice instead of Cucumber. You get the idea.

I topped these margaritas with cilantro, and it was the perfect addition. But, I know some of you are not into cilantro (what's with the hate?), so feel free to omit!

Cucumber Margarita

Ingredients:

• 1.5 ounces tequila
• 3 ounces cucumber juice
• 3 ounces water
• 1 tsp Maple Syrup or Agave
• 1/2 lime
• Ice
• A few pieces of cilantro, ripped, for garnish

Directions:

1. Squeeze lime juice into shaker.
2. Use lime wedges to wet the edges of the glass. Dip in ice, if preferred (we didn't!).
3. Combine all remaining liquid ingredients in a shaker and shake. 
4. Pour over ice. 

Once the cocktails were made, we got down to the next order of business: Guaca-freaking-mole. It is one of my favorite things because I feel like you can do just about anything with it and justify it as "healthy" because avocados are all the rage in the health world.

I'm a bit disappointed with how these photos turned out, but I assure you that the guac was delicious. I always try to use feta or goat cheese, and combine it with garlic, so it tasted very rich.

Garlic Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 3 avocados
• 1/4 white onion, chopped
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 tbsp hot, smoky salsa (or whatever works for you!)
• 1/3 cup Feta

Directions:

1. Mash avocados.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well

Once the cocktails were flowing and the guacamole was prepared, we dug into the taquitos and taco bar. My girlfriend makes a mean taco bar spread, and there was anything you could want in your taco! From shredded chicken to corn, from beans to carmelized onions, she had it all.

We may have been full, but we weren't ready to quit without using the quesadilla maker. My girlfriend made a few chicken and cheese quesadillas, and the men gobbled them down.

What About You?

• What's your secret Guacamole recipe?
• Have you ever gotten fancy with margaritas, or are you into the traditional recipe?

**Disclaimer: I was provided with a Whole Foods gift card and a bottle of tequila to write this post. Don't worry, though - it was all just as good as it looks!**

Avocado Grilled Cheese

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Crispy bread. Melted, delicious, sharp cheddar cheese. Avocado, cilantro, and onion spread. And tiny bits of spinach in between. It's like Guacamole and Grilled cheese had a baby. 

Avocado hipsters. Let's face it. They're everywhere. I'd like to assert that I've loved avocados since long before they were cool. Ask my mom. She'll tell you I loved guacamole even as a baby. That's proof of my eternal coolness, I'm pretty darn sure. I'm also darn sure that I loved corgis before they were trending. My family is now on their third corgi. We're corgi-obsessed. We have corgi coffee mugs, corgi t shirts... you get the jist. Well, all of these avocado and corgi hipsters can come beg me for love. I am the original, okay?!

Nothing like a good rant, amirite? [No. You're not. You need to move on.] Okay...

ANYWAY. Back to reality. I love avocado. I love cheese. I especially love grilled cheese. So it seems as though I should have created this easy concoction long ago... 

Avocado Grilled Cheese

Servings: 1 (but you will have enough leftover avocado spread for 2-3 additional sandwiches... or lots of chips!)

Calories: 215

Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• 1 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp Feta Cheese
• 1 tbsp Onion, chopped
• 2 pieces bread (I use Sara Lee's 45 Calories and Delicious bread... yes, that's the actual name... but feel free to class it up and use Sourdough if you don't mind the calories)
• Thinly sliced white cheddar cheese, to taste (or use a pre-sliced piece... but I promise you that white cheddar cheese will WOW your tastebuds!)
• 4-6 leaves of Baby Spinach

Directions:

1. Remove avocado skin and seed. For those of you who are sick of making a mess while skinning and seeding avocados: Cut a ring on the whole avocado, cutting it into two long halves. Then, on each half, carefully cut the inside (but do NOT cut the skin) into a tic-tac-toe pattern (intersecting lines). Then, use a spoon to spoon out the squares and put them into a bowl.
2. In a bowl, use a fork or large spoon to mash avocado 'meat' into a spread.
3. Add cilantro, feta, and onion, then mix well.
4. If using cheese that is not pre-sliced, cut thin pieces of cheese and set aside.
5. Spread a layer of avocado on one piece of bread.
6. Put this piece of bread down on a grill, stovetop grill, or panini press. Add a layer of spinach on top of the avocado spread, then add sliced cheese and top with the second piece of bread.
7. If making this on a stovetop grill, be sure to cover the pan and occasionally use a spatula to press down on the sandwich. Once the bottom side begins to brown, flip the sandwich and continue cooking until the other side browns as well. If using a panini press, cook until you see the browning lines on the bread and the cheese is melted.
8. Remove from heat, cut in half, and serve! 

Notes:

• We dipped these in Sriracha (which I am obsessed with, making my tongue really tired of the heat).

How To Stuff Your Face With Mexican Food... The Healthy Way

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“Honestly, all I want to do is stuff my face with some Mexican food.” <-- Yeah, that was me, last week. I don’t know what came over me – I don’t often have strong cravings and, when I do, it’s usually for toast (seriously), so when I suddenly HAD TO HAVE Mexican food, it was like a whole new world.

But Mexican restaurants, while they may be authentic, are pretty much horrible for you. So are tortillas. And sour cream. And queso dip. You get the issue here. And, to make it worse, it’s nearly impossible to have a Mexican dinner at a restaurant without succumbing to the Margarita Misery – and by that, I mean yeah, I’ll just have one – oh, shit, I didn’t realize they are each 400 calories.

And yet, if you know me, you know my attitude about these things. It CAN be done. It just hasn’t been done – YET.

So here’s my solution… because we all deserve to stuff our faces with Mexican food. And we all deserve to do it without paying for it later.

The amounts of each ingredient can very easily be altered – because it’s really just a bowl of Mexican-related ingredients thrown together – so feel free to mix and match, omit and add, etc.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Spinach, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/2 cup Black Beans (if you're buying canned beans, look for organic, low sodium, etc – as most canned black beans come LOADED with sodium)
• 1/4 cup Cheese – Cheddar, Mozzarella, Monterey jack, the works! (I used 2% Mozzarella) 
• Avocado/Guacamole – 2 tablespoons Guacamole or ½ Avocado
• Diced Tomatoes (Make sure you get fresh tomatoes and dice them yourself OR pick canned diced tomatoes that do not have added ingredients like fillers and sodium. In the images you see here, we used some canned diced tomatoes and then added a few chunks of freshly diced tomato too).
• 2 tsp Cumin
• Hot Sauce (to taste)
• Pre-cooked Chicken Strips (Optional)

Directions:

1. Heat beans over medium heat, stirring occasionally, and add cumin.
2. Chop fresh ingredients (spinach, avocadoes, tomatoes)
3. Combine!