Sometimes, even I am impressed with how productive I can be in a single afternoon. Case-in-point. I prepared not one, but TWO dishes on Saturday. An appetizer/side dish + a main course. Not too shabby for someone who still struggles with turning on their mother’s gas stove. (Let’s just keep that between us, ok?)
How to pick a ripe avocado? Hold it in your hand and apply gentle pressure. If it yields slightly, than its good to go!
Additional highlights of Saturday’s cooking adventure include my first ever attempt at making guacamole. Here’s a spoiler: it came out great, even if I put in a whole onion instead of just a cup (Oops). At the same times, I was finally given a chance to break out my mortar and pestle, something I purchased months ago at Marshalls. 
While it wasn’t performing the most important of tasks out there -my family’s pepper grinder broke and I needed to ground up some peppercorns- I got a kick out of using it. It might be small, but the thing definitely got the job done. Best $10 purchase ever!!!
One last thing before we get to what brought you here in the first place. I absolutely love cooking or baking with music playing in the kitchen. This time around I was first listening to the soundtrack from the film A Walk on the Moon. One can never go wrong with music from the Summer of Love playing in the background. For the fajitas, I decided to listen to, of all things, french music from the 1920s and 30s. Mexican food with French music? Sounds strange but it surprisingly works. Who knew?
Guacamole
Taken from The Best of Cooking Light: Everyday Favorites.
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 ripe, peeled avocados, seeded and mashed
- Combine first seven ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Cover and chill before serving.
Yields about 16 servings
Portobello Mushroom Fajitas
Taken from The Best of Cooking Light: Everyday Favorites.
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups sliced portobello mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
1 cup vertically sliced red onion
1 cup green pepper stripes (about 1/4 inches thick)
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup mild salsa
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas
Shredded, Mexican cheese mix
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, sauté 5 minutes. add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and cook 4 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Lower heat to low and stir in cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper and salsa. Don’t add too much salsa to the mixture, just enough to coat everything evenly.
- Warm tortillas according to the package directions. Spoon about 1/4 cup of mushroom mixture down the enter of each, add cheese before rolling. Coat with more salsa and cheese.
Makes about four servings (two or three fajitas each)
The Foodie Librarian 