Avocado Awesome Sauce

I know what you’re thinking, “Taneasha, that doesn’t look very awesome.”  And you’re right, it’s not very pretty, but what it lacks in beauty it more than makes up for in taste.  Think hollandaise sauce, only better, and if that wasn’t good enough… it’s healthy!  Woot woot!  Oh, and did I mention it’s ridiculously easy to make? 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 1 avocado
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lime juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¾ cup hot water 

Step 1.  Juice your lime. 

Step 2.  Cut your avocado in half.  (Mine wasn’t the prettiest avocado ever, but it still tasted amazing, so whatevs.)

Step 3.  Carefully cut the avocado into cubes while it’s in the skin.

Step 4.  Place all of the ingredients into your blender.  Turn it on, starting with the lowest speed, slowly increasing it until you have a nice smooth sauce.  If it’s too thick, add more hot water, 1 Tablespoon at a time. 

Now just pour it over whatever you want to have it on.  I had mine in place of hollandaise for eggs benedict.  With a whole wheat English muffin and this sauce, you now have amazingly delicious eggs benedict that is actually good for you.  I bet you didn't think that was possible. 

Don’t limit yourself to breakfast, though.  It would be fabulous to use for a base for chicken salad, as a spread for a sandwich, or in tacos.  The sky’s the limit, really.  This sauce is so good, you might just want to eat it with a spoon. 

What is your favorite thing to do with avocado? 

Baked Triple Berry Oatmeal

If you’re like me, you like the taste, heartiness, and health benefits of oatmeal, but aren’t big on the squidgy texture. Baked oatmeal is the perfect solution. 

Here’s what you’ll need: 

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• ½ cup oat flour (or whole wheat)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ cups milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ½ cups mixed berries
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 2 Tablespoons butter 

First thing, go ahead and preheat your oven to 350° and butter an 8x8 pan.

Put your oats into a mixing bowl.  I happened to have ground flax seed on hand, so I added a tablespoon.  It is absolutely optional, though. 

Add the rest of the dry ingredients. 

Stir that until everything is evenly distributed. 

Measure your milk and add the egg and vanilla.

Whisk that together and pour it over the dry ingredients. 

Stir until everything is incorporated and add the berries.  I used ½ cup each of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.  I happened to have fresh strawberries, so I used those rather than the frozen ones.  Either will work just fine, though.  In fact, probably any kind of fruit, (apples, peaches, cherries, whatever) fresh or frozen, will work.  You just want a total of 1 ½ cups. 

Gently stir in the berries and pour everything into your prepared pan. 

Slice 2 tablespoons of butter into thin slices and spread them over the top.

Into the oven for about 40 minutes.  It should be golden around the edges and just starting to brown on top. 

The longer you allow it to cool, the better it will stay together.  Then just cut it into squares and enjoy!  And the best part is, any leftovers can be reheated in the microwave in about 30 seconds, so it’s instant breakfast. 

What food textures do you have issues with?