Avocado and Ginger Vichyssoise (Soup)
"This recipe is prepared at the Hotel Inter-Continental in Ocho Rios, Jamaica."

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 ounce fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 large avocado, peeled and mashed
2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup light cream
1 scallion, finely chopped

Instructions
Melt the butter in a sauté pan. Cook the onions and grated ginger for about 2 minutes. Add the mashed avocado and chicken stock. Mix all ingredients thoroughly, using a wire whisk to eliminate lumps. Simmer slowly for about 10-15 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cream. Stir and chill for at least an hour. Chill bowls before serving. Garnish each bowl with scallions.

Yield: 6 servings.

Avocado Holiday Cake
Ingredients
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup mashed avocado
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chopped candied cherries
1 cup chopped candied pineapple, optional
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix egg, avocado, buttermilk, pecans, cherries and pineapple. Sift together remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Pour avocado mixture into flour mixture. Mix only until flour is moistened. Do not overblend. Pour into a well-greased 9 x 13-inch pan or 3 small 4 x 7-inch loaf pans. Fill slightly more than 1/2 full. Bake 1 hour, or 45 minutes if using small pans. Cool on rack.

Yield: 24 servings

Avocado and Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
1 cup broad flat green noodles
1 large ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 dashes Tabasco sauce
2-1/4 cups half-and-half
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
6 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (approximately 2 pounds) poached
1/2 cup roasted, peeled, and coarsely chopped fresh chiles or 1 (4-ounce) can whole green chiles, chopped coarse

Instructions
Prepare noodles according to package directions, drain, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drizzle avocado slices with lime juice and set aside. Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, and Tabasco over low heat until mixture bubbles. Add half-and-half slowly, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add cheese and stir until it has melted. Reserve 1 cup of this sauce. Mix remainder with cooked noodles. Place chicken in bottom of a 9 x12 x 3-inch rectangular baking dish. Cover with chopped green chiles. Spoon noodle mixture over chicken and chiles. Place avocado slices on top and pour reserved sauce over avocados. Bake, uncovered, 35 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings.

Avocado Bread
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup mashed avocado (1 medium avocado)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and avocado. Stir in the buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the pecans. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Yield: 1 loaf.

Avocado and Egg Pâté (Pate)
Ingredients
large bunch of parsley
small bunch of spring onions (scallion) bulbs
4 ripe avocados
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
1 tsp salt
10 grinds of black pepper
1 rounded tbsp mayonnaise

Instructions
Chop the parsley and the spring onions finely in the food processor. Add the peeled, stoned and roughly cubed avocados and the lemon juice, then add the eggs and seasonings. Pulse until the eggs are finely chopped. Turn into a bowl and add enough of the mayonnaise to bind the mixture into a pate. Taste and reseason if necessary. Pile into a shallow bowl and chill until required. Serve with scoop crisps or spread on fingers of challah.

Yield: 8 servings as a starter, 12 as a dip

Avocado Crab Grapefruit Salad
Ingredients
4 avocados
1 pound crab meat, picked through and diced
1/2 cup pecans
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons ketchup
dash of Worchestershire sauce
lettuce
1 cup halved grapefruit sections
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
black olives

Instructions
Cut the avocados in half and remove the seeds. Combine the crab meat with the next 4 ingredients and spoon into the avocados. Serve on a bed of crisp lettuce surrounded by grapefruit sections and garnished with chopped eggs and black olives.

Serves: 4

Avocado Pocket Sandwiches
Ingredients
1 avocado, halved and peeled
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup cubed Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup bottled Italian dressing
4 pita breads
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped tomato

Instructions

Dice half the avocado. Reserve other half. Gently toss diced avocado, cucumber, carrot, cauliflower, mushrooms, and cheese with Italian dressing. Slit pita breads and separate halfway around by pulling edges apart to form a pocket. Fill each with 1/4 of the mixture. Mash remaining avocado with fork and stir in lemon juice and tomato. Spoon inside each sandwich.

Yield: 4 pocket sandwiches

Avocado Ice Cream
The Author says: "A cool, refreshing, not-too-sweet dessert. Serve with crisp lemon wafers." --Judy Gorman

Ingredients
2 large avocados, peeled, seeded, and sliced
4 cups medium or whipping cream
3 tablespoons tequila or light rum
3 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions
Combine the avocados and 1 cup of the cream in the container of a blender or processor. Add the liquor and whirl until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Beat the egg yolks with another cup of the cream. In a saucepan, combine the flour, sugar, and salt and whisk to blend thoroughly. Slowly whisk in the remaining 2 cups of cream and stir over medium heat until slightly thickened. Whisk half the hot mixture into the egg yolks. Pour the mixture back into the pan and stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, stir in the vanilla, and chill for 2 hours. Combine the avocado mixture and the egg yolk mixture in the container of an ice cream machine and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Yield: 8 servings.

Instructions
In a medium-size bowl, mix the finely chopped onion and chiles with the optional tomato, garlic and coriander. Close to the time you are going to serve, halve the avocados lengthwise by cutting from the stem to flower ends, around the pits. Twist the avocado halves in opposite directions to loosen the meat from the pits, then scoop out the pits and reserve. Scrape the avocado pulp from the skins and add it to the bowl. Using your hand or a spoon, roughly mash the avocado while mixing in the other ingredients, making a coarse, thick mass. Flavor with salt, then enough lime juice to add a little zing, if you wish. Return the pits to the guacamole and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface of the mixture. Set aside for a few minutes to let the flavors blend. Garnishing: The guacamole is very attractive in a pottery bowl or Mexican mortar, sprinkled with chopped onion, coriander, radish slices and crumbled fresh cheese; radish roses really dress it up.

Yield: about 3 cups, serving 6 as an appetizer, 12 to 15 as a dip

Crabmeat Stuffed Baked Avocado
Ingredients
2 avocados, halved and sprinkled with lime juice
1 stick of butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk, scalded
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Pickapeppa Sauce (available in specialty condiment section)
Parmesan cheese

Instructions Sauté onion in butter but do not allow to brown at all. Make roux by adding the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk, a small amount at a time, guarding against lumping. Cook and stir until smooth and thick. Remove from heat. Combine remaining ingredients and add to white sauce. Fill avocado cavities with mixture, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until avocado is heated through.

Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 tablespoon grated onion or 1-1/2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 clove garlic, minced, or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut in chunks
1 tomato, peeled and chopped

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in blender except avocado and tomato. Cover and blend smooth. Add avocado chunks a few at a time. Cover and blend smooth. Stir in tomato. Serve with corn chips or celery scoopers.

Yield: about 2 cups, 15 calories per tablespoon.

Green Goddess Dressing Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups mayonnaise
1 to 2 tablespoons anchovy paste
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons spice blend or seasoned salt
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon whole celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 ripe avocado, mashed
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Few drops green food coloring

Instructions
Combine mayonnaise, anchovy paste, sour cream, spice blend, parsley, garlic, onion, dry mustard, vinegar, celery seeds, thyme, avocado, Worcestershire and food coloring in blender container. Blend until very smooth.

Yield: about 3-1/4 cups

Each tablespoon contains about 50 calories, 121 mg sodium, 5 mg cholesterol, 4 grams fat, 3 grams carbohydrates, 0 protein, 0.06 gram fiber.

Ingredients
1 bay leaf
2 ribs celery with leaves, halved
2 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
4 black peppercorns
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
Juice of 1 lime
3 ripe avocados, preferably Hass, halved and pitted
1 cup small ripe cantaloupe balls
1 cup small ripe honeydew balls
1 cup Cilantro Mayonnaise (recipe follows)
6 small fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions
Bring a large pot of water with the bay leaf, celery, parsley, and peppercorns to a boil. Add the shrimp, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 1 minute. Drain. When cool enough to handle, cut each shrimp crosswise into 3 or 4 pieces. Toss gently with the tomatoes in a large bowl. Place the lime juice in another bowl. Using a small melon baller, remove 6 balls from each avocado half. Toss in the lime juice. Rub the remaining exposed avocado halves with lime juice to prevent discoloration. Set the shells aside. Add the avocado and melon balls to the shrimp mixture. Add the cilantro mayonnaise and toss gently to combine. Fill each avocado half with 1/2 cup shrimp salad and garnish with the cilantro leaves.

Cilantro Mayonnaise
Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate covered until ready to use, but do not make more than 1 day in advance. Makes approximately 1 cup.

Yield: 6 servings

Turkey Salad in Mango Chutney Mayonnaise
Ingredients

The Mayonnaise
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped mango chutney
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives

The Salad
3 cups bite-sized or thinly sliced cooked turkey or chicken
3 tablespoons raisins or currants
1 cup red or green seedless grapes, cut in half
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup slivered almonds
Assorted greens (watercress, red leaf lettuce, etc.)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions
Prepare the mayonnaise: In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, chutney, lemon juice, and chives.

Prepare the salad: In a large bowl, mix the turkey, currants, and grapes. Gently fold in the mayonnaise. In a small skillet over moderate heat, melt the butter. Saute the almonds until lightly golden, about 4 minutes, stirring often so they don't burn, and drain on paper towels. Toss the almonds into the turkey salad. Place the greens on a serving plate. Put the turkey salad in the center and fan the avocado slices around it.

Yield: 4 servings

Vegetables with Avocado Aioli
The Author says: Aioli is the Provencal name for the garlicky mayonnaise that is the center piece for a meal of assorted seasonal vegetables and often seafood. With the use of uncooked egg yolks so widely disputed, a prejudice against fresh mayonnaise and, alas, aioli, has developed. It's impossible to reproduce aioli's velvety texture with other ingredients, but I've begun with the best alternative I could think of, a creamy, ripe avocado. Olive oil and fresh lime juice help to create the illusion of the classic sauce." --Sheila Lukins

Ingredients
Vegetables
1 lemon, halved
12 baby artichokes
1 pound young carrots, tops trimmed to 1 inch
1/2 pound thin green beans (haricots verts)
1/2 pound sugar snap peas
12 small red-skinned new potatoes
12 small beets

Avocado Aioli
2 ripe Hass avocados (about 1/2 pound each)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) or flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 hard-cooked eggs, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions
Cook the vegetables: Squeeze the lemon halves into a medium bowl and fill with water. Trim the artichoke stems and cut about 1/2 inch off the tops. Remove any tough outer leaves at the base and snip the points from the remaining leaves with scissors. Toss the artichokes into the acidulated water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the artichokes and boil until tender when pierced, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well. In the same pot, boil the remaining vegetables, one at a time, until just tender; remove each batch with a slotted spoon as it's done.

Make the Avocado Aioli: Halve the avocados. Scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash with the lime juice and garlic. Scrape into a food processor and puree. With the machine on, drizzle in the oil. Scrape the puree into a bow. Fold in the coriander and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

To serve, arrange the vegetables and eggs on a large platter. Sprinkle the parsley over all. Spoon the aioli into a bowl and serve alongside.

Yield: 6-8 servings

El Torito's Sopa de Tortilla (Tortilla Soup)
Ingredients
For soup:

7 cups chicken broth
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
Salt to taste
White ground pepper to taste
1 zucchini, diced
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached and shredded

For presentation:
3 corn tortillas
Vegetable oil
1-1/2 cups shredded Jack cheese
8-10 slices avocado
Cilantro sprigs

Instructions
In large pot, combine chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, bell pepper, potato, tomato paste, bay leaf, garlic and oregano. Season to taste and bring to boil. Simmer 25 minutes.

Add zucchini, tomatoes and shredded chicken breast pieces. Bring to boil, then simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Cut tortillas into matchstick size strips. Saute in hot oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

To serve, place tortilla strips in individual bowls. Cover with shredded cheese and ladle in soup. Top with slice of avocado and cilantro sprig.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Avocado Yoghurt Dip Recipe
Ingredients
2 to 3 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 small sweet red or white onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 small green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
2 large ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
1/2 cup plain yoghurt, sour cream, or Creme Fraiche (See How To Make Homemade Creme Fraiche at the end)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon crumbled dried dill or tarragon, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Coriander sprigs
Tortilla Chips

Instructions
In a blender or food processor, finely mince shallots, onion, bell pepper, and green onion tops. Add avocados and lemon juice and whirl until smooth. Add yoghurt, mayonnaise, dill, salt, and white pepper. Whirl until smooth, then taste and adjust seasonings. Transfer dip to a shallow serving bowl cover, and refrigerate several hours to chill thoroughly. Just before serving, garnish with coriander sprigs. Serve with tortilla chips. This dip should be kept no longer than 1 day.

Yield: About 3 cups.

How To Make Homemade Creme Fraiche

Creme fraiche is a thick cream used in sauces and soups and as a condiment for fresh fruits. Learn how to make homemade creme fraiche. Plan ahead as this will take some time.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 8-14 hours

Here's How:

1 cup whipping cream mixed with 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
Combine well in glass jar and cover.
Let stand at room temperature (about 70 degrees F.) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened.
Stir well and refrigerate.
Use within 10 days.

Tips:

Use as a thickener for soups or sauces.
Spoon over fresh fruits, puddings or warm cobblers.
Can be used in boiled recipes as it will not curdle.

What You Need:
buttermilk
whipping cream
glass jar

All of the above recipes are from one of my friends from Mexico. We are taking Yoga class together.