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| Attack of the Killer Avocado |
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| George's Seed |
Dan decided to plant the pit. Actually, he nurtured it by adding the large pit to a glass of water. It sat in our window for quite some time until Dan transplanted the sprouting pit into a pot.
Look at it now! It's a baby Avocado tree!
It all really makes you think about the cycle of life, and how the cycle nourishes us. I think in about four-to-six years the tree should begin producing avocado if all goes well. He should grow to be a very big boy.
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| Meet George |
Because this tree is so special, I decided to give it a special name.
My dad's name was George. He passed away of a massive heart attack at the age of 51. I was 18. I had just come off my eye-rolling at everything years. I was only starting to get to know this workaholic, quirky, and artistically talented man masquerading as an accountant to support his family when God decided he had other plans for him.
So, meet George.
Send George your best wishes and prayers that he has a long, happy, and productive life. May he feed us with the fruits of his labor for many years, just like my dad.
George will stay in the pot for about one or two more years before we give him up to Mother Earth and the elements, depending on how fast he grows. Right now we can still pull George into the garage if a tropical storm blows by.
As I wipe my eyes dry...
Now on to tonight's recipe, in honor of George:
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| Avocado and Cucumber Salad with Kiwi Lime Dressing |
It's already warm here in Florida. I have dusted off my grill.
This is a very busy week for me. I'm taking a few shortcuts with dinner.
I usually make up my own rubs and marinades for my meats. I used Gena Knox Fire and Flavor Asian Rub Spice Pack* which I had on hand. I won the spice pack in a gift basket. It was a prize in a charity raffle I entered a few weeks ago.
You can see Dan's arm in the background
ready to reach for dinner! ;.)
This was the first time I ever used this product. I followed the package directions and I created these wonderful tuna and shrimp skewers. I also threw a few little corn ears on the grill.
Since I was creating a summer-style meal, I wanted a light but interesting salad to go along. So I grabbed a Florida avocado, a cucumber, a lime, a kiwi and a few spices to create this fabulous side dish.
You can make this salad hours before you are ready to serve it. It gets better the longer it sits. Make the entire batch. Leftovers are great over lettuce for a light lunch the next day.
Serves 4-6:
2 Hass avocados from Chile or 1 large Florida avocado
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1/8 cup chopped sweet onion or green onion (white part only)
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil
Pinch or two of Himalayan or sea salt, to taste
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon Chili powder
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
Note: Grind Himalayan rock salt in a salt or clean pepper grinder.
Add avocado, cucumber and sweet onion to a bowl.
Whisk together lime juice, oil, salt , pepper, and chili powder until dressing comes together (emulsifies). Toss kiwi into dressing. Pour over salad.
Toss salad ingredients together to coat with dressing. Chill until ready to serve.
The rub can be purchased at http://www.fireandflavor.com/.
*Not a paid endorsement.
