Game Day Eats: Chunky Avocado Salsa

chunky avocado salsa

My family takes college football very seriously, and when it comes to game day, few things take precedence. While Kenny has been an Ohio State Buckeye fan for as long as he can remember (I know, I know… he didn’t go there. Don’t get me started), I didn’t really become interested until my college years. The only problem was that while I attended college, our football team wasn’t the best.

That’s not really fair to say, because Northwestern always boasts that our football players have the highest SAT scores of any other university, and that we take the term scholar athlete very seriously. So I suppose we are the best at some things. But you know your football team may be struggling if your bragging rights come from their SAT scores.

Nonetheless, my college friends and I enjoyed bundling up, and cheering on our mighty Wildcats, whether they won or lost, but the highlight quickly became brainstorming witty cheers to shout at the opponents. For example, if we played the Hoosiers from Indiana University, and it was a rare occasion when NU was in the lead, we’d get the student section cheering, “Hoosier daddy!?” Or when Drew Brees, quarterback for Purdue, graced our field, we’d chant, “Brees blows!”  Yes, I know what you’re thinking. Puns abound when surrounded by nerdy Northwestern football fans. But my all-time favorite cheer is one that my dear husband would rather I keep to myself.

It was a cool Fall day, and my freshman dorm friends and I piled into a cramped car, so that we could watch our Northwestern Wildcats likely be dominated by the Ohio State Buckeyes. We had driven a long way, but we were excited to be amongst the small group of away-game fans. As we found our seats in the visitors’ section of the horseshoe stadium, it quickly became clear that this game would not be going in our favor, and we’d better focus on coming up with a witty cheer to pass the time. The Ohio fans loudly cheered “O-H” from one end of the stadium, and the other end responded with an “I-O.” These folks knew how to cheer! But while many universities have ferocious mascots, like a wildcat, a tiger, a bear, or some other sort of intimidating animal, The Ohio State’s mascot is a poisonous nut. A nut, people! Given this knowledge, the witty cheer came quite easily to me, and I soon had nearly the entire visitors’ section chanting, “At least we’re not nuts!” So what if a super intoxicated buckeye fan tried to take a swing at me, that cheer was worth it. We may have lost the game, but that cheer was a winner.

This coming weekend, undefeated Ohio State plays my beloved alma mater, Northwestern University. Fortunately, our football team seems to be pretty good this year, but just in case, I know what I’ll be cheering if the scoreboard doesn’t sway in our favor. And in honor of college football season, today’s recipe is inspired by one of the many fantastic dishes made by my Tia Pipa (Aunt Felipa). Put a bowl of this chunky salsa, filled with creamy pieces of cool avocado, in front of your football fans, and I promise their mouths will be too full to spit out any witty cheers.

Chunky Avocado Salsa
 
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Serves: 12
Prep time:
Total time:
 
Football fans will be cheering for this chunky game day salsa!
Ingredients
  • 1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 2 small yellow onions, divided
  • 2 jalapeno peppers, divided
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped cilantro, divided
  • 3 Tbs rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbs garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3 Haas avocados
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. In a food processor, puree the tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 whole jalapeno pepper, 1 cup of cilantro, vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder until all are blended into a slightly chunky sauce. Pour into a large bowl.
  2. Finely dice the second onion, and add to the bowl.
  3. Remove the seeds and ribs of the second jalapeno, finely dice, and add to the bowl.
  4. Stir in the rest of the cilantro, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. When you are ready to serve, dice the avocados, and stir them into the mix.
  6. Your salsa should now be both chunky and wet. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
If you prefer a spicier salsa, keep the seeds and ribs in the jalapeno pepper.

 

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta with Grilled Crostini

Fresh Tomato Bruschetta with Grilled Crostini

I’m often asked how I got started teaching cooking classes, especially when my career is in a completely different field. Usually, I just tell people that I am very passionate about food and cooking, and I like sharing that passion with other people, but that is really the short answer. The real story is a bit more detailed than that.

It all started at a casual dinner where many of our closest family friends got together to share a meal. My lifelong friend had developed a bit of a reputation for her fear and distaste of the kitchen, and as was routine, was the butt of some jabbing jokes about the type of wife she would be, since she recently got married. These jabs and teasing were always done in good fun, but I sensed that they had begun to sting a little. So, I took my friend aside, and in secret, we scheduled a date for her to come over to my house for a fun cooking lesson. Soon, we were meeting monthly.

My goal for each lesson was to teach her an appetizer, soup or salad, main dish and dessert, so that if she were called to make any of those dishes for a potluck of sorts, she would have something she could fall back on. I kept all the recipes in a binder, with the hopes that at the end of the day, she would have her own “cookbook”  with recipes she felt confident making on her own. As her confidence grew in the kitchen, she started sharing our secret with our other friends, and little by little, everyone wanted in. What started as one-on-one lessons quickly grew to couples’ date nights and children’s classes, as well.

The two young chefs.
The two young chefs.

A few months after we initially started meeting, my friend arrived to a family party with an appetizer in tow. She had tried her hand at the very first dish we made together: Fresh Tomato Bruschetta with Grilled Crostini. She shared with me that her husband served as her sous chef, and together, they prepared this dish. I have to say that I was absolutely beaming with pride as the party guests tasted and enjoyed every bite of her appetizer until there was none left to speak of. What’s more, now that my friend is the mother of two beautiful munchkins, her confidence in the kitchen has grown in such a way that she happily makes her own baby food for the kids.

Yes, I have a passion for food and for cooking. And yes, I really do love sharing that passion with others. But watching my friends and loved ones succeed at something they were once afraid to try is precisely what fuels me from class to class.

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Fresh Tomato Bruschetta with Grilled Crostini
 
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 8
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
 
Kosher salt activates the natural juices in the tomatoes, and makes this appetizer a simple and delicious crowd-pleaser.
Ingredients
Bruschetta
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 7-8 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
  • 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 three-finger pinch of kosher salt
  • fresh ground pepper
  • shaved parmesan cheese
Crostini
  • 8 diagonally sliced pieces of French baguette
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
Bruschetta
  1. In a bowl, add the diced roma tomatoes. Stack the basil leaves, roll them into a cigar, and run your knife, making thin slices. Add the sliced basil to the tomatoes. Finely mince the garlic (I use a microplane zester for this). Add olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  2. Gently stir and combine all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  3. Serve over grilled crostini and top with parmesan cheese.
Crostini
  1. Brush olive oil over the bread pieces, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on grill over medium to high heat, and cook until grill marks appear.
  2. Top with bruschetta, and serve.
Notes
Make sure you use good quality parmesan cheese, and not the powdery stuff that comes from the green can. It really makes all the difference.

 

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