Tortellini Corn and Tomatoes Salad

Besides strawberries,which I’ve already written about a couple weeks ago with two new recipes, the other summer bounty I love so much is summer corn and tomatoes. This recipe for Tortellini Corn and Tomatoes Salad is my favorite go to during summer and fall to really showcase both these ingredients and letting them shine.
Tortellini Corn and Tomatoes Salad recipe, an easy summer recipe that takes advantage of the fresh taste of summer corn while its sweet and heirloom tomatoes at their juiciest and is perfect for a picnic, potluck, and can be served cold or room temperature
Fresh corn during the summer has a wonderful sweetness that you just can’t beat if you are able to get your ears quickly after they are picked. Cook them how you’d like – Grilled is my favorite but I also provide an optional cheat to add a little sear and smokiness if for convenience you steam or boil them instead, or you want to use niblets to save yourself cutting them from the cob.

As for tomatoes, the ones you get from the Farmers Market are the best – you can get all sorts of different heirloom varieties you may never see at your regular grocery store. This recipe leaves the tomatoes raw and asks for grape tomatoes but you can easily substitute larger tomatoes – I just like grape tomatoes more so they can burst in your mouth as fun texture.

Even better, this batches up really well making it perfect for picnics and potlucks with a larger group, and can be served cold or room temperatures.
Tortellini Corn and Tomatoes Salad recipe, an easy summer recipe that takes advantage of the fresh taste of summer corn while its sweet and heirloom tomatoes at their juiciest and is perfect for a picnic, potluck, and can be served cold or room temperature
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Avocado Pesto and more Avocado Awesomeness

Today is June 30, which marks the last day of June and therefore the last day of California Avocado Month. Of course, just because it’s the end of the celebratory month doesn’t mean you can’t keep using and enjoying avocados, particularly since California avocado season runs approximately from the middle of April through the middle of September. So you have plenty of time STILL ahead to enjoy the awesomeness of avocados.

As part of the celebration of California Avocado Month, the California Avocado Commission (CAC) worked with 15 chefs across the country to help inspire more ways to incorporate avocados in your meals. In Portland, the chef on this list is owner and chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother’s Bistro.
The World's Most Popular Avocado is a California Native, banner courtesy of California Avocado Commission (CAC) California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with  a demo of cutting avocados and making the Avocado, Pink Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab Cocktail California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month

I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner where Chef Lisa was creating a dinner menu with every food item featuring avocados in some way. More on that in just a little bit. I need to share how much I adore avocados.

I’m a big fan of avocados – I’ve shared recipes on this blog before for various versions of guacamole (the “gateway” to avocados and great for those who are just being introduced to avocados), as well as an avocado mac and cheese that included other green things like lime and jalapeno and green onions and cilantro matched up against Beecher’s Cheddar.

Guacamole from Food Network chefs:  The Rick Bayless Recipe- Sundried Tomato Guacamole Guacamole from Food Network chefs:  The Bobby Flay Recipe- a spicy guacamole and in the back The Alton Brown Recipe- a tomato guacamole Recipe of Green Mac and Cheese for St Patricks: Avocado Mac and Cheese, using cheddar and many green things like avocado, green jalapeno, lime, green onion, cilantro

Yet another recipe you might consider for this summer is Elote Pasta Salad that upgrades pasta salad with roasted corn, cotija and avocado. Or try Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Tomato and Greens Sandwich and/or a Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Salad with Avocado and Greens Sandwich, both which I packed for a picnic!

Elote Pasta Salad recipe, vegetarian, summer recipe, easy recipe, pasta salad, picnic recipe Vegetarian Hummus Avocado Greens Sandwich Buffalo Chicken Salad with Avocado and Microgreens Sandwich

And of course, I’ve enjoyed avocados made by others in many wonderful ways, varying from sushi, slicing them and including them in a wrap (even a DIY Vietnamese summer roll) or at breakfasts via the traditional way as part of Eggs Benedict or with a Mexican breakfast dish that could be a breakfast burrito or in this case, Migas (a flour tortilla stuffed with 3 chipotle-cumin scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, Tillamook cheddar, fresh basil, homemade salsa and sour cream and then served with fresh avocado salsa). Yum right??
From Bamboo Sushi's House Signature Roll section: Green Machine Roll (vegetarian) of tempura fried asparagus and green onions topped with avocado and cilantro sweet chili aioli. Amazing. Do It Yourself Vietnamese rolls Portage Bay Cafe, Migas, a flour tortilla stuffed with 3 chipotle-cumin scrambled eggs, chorizo sausage, Tillamook cheddar, fresh basil, homemade salsa and sour cream and then served with fresh avocado salsa, breakfast, Seattle

And avocados are always welcome in a large variety of sandwiches or salads… Possibilities are endless.
Steamboat Rock BLT- Thick sliced apple wood-smoke​d bacon layered with vine ripened tomatoes, mixed garden greens and basil aioli served on whole grain toast, Oak Creek Brewery, Sedona, Arizona salad, arugula, roasted corn, spring onion and roasted tomatoes with avocado in a grilled lemon dressing, Picnic House, Portland, picnic restaurant

And then, of course, there was this incredible Avocados Dinner by Chef Lisa Schroder to promote California Avocados that I attended. The menu included

  • Lucy Brennan’s Avocado Daiquiri
    California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Lucy Brennan's Avocado Daiquiri California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Lucy Brennan's Avocado Daiquiri California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Lucy Brennan's Avocado Daiquiri
  • Hors D’Oeuvres of Avocado, Pink Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab Cocktail and also Guacamole-filled Cherry Tomatoes!
    California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Guacamole-filled Cherry Tomatoes California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Guacamole-filled Cherry Tomatoes
    For the recipe for the Pink Grapefruit Avocado Crab cocktail, check Je Mange Le Ville’s avocado post from this event. Also for tips on using avocados check out the blog of Urban Bliss Life for her avocado dinner coverage which includes a video of Lisa demonstrating how to cut avocados!
    California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Avocado, Pink Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab Cocktail California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Avocado, Pink Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab Cocktail California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with  a demo of cutting avocados and making the Avocado, Pink Grapefruit and Dungeness Crab Cocktail
  • Butter Lettuce, Avocado and Green Onion Salad with lemon vinaigrette
  • Entree of Grilled Chicken Breast with sauteed onions and peppers topped with avocado and salsa, served with a Macaroni and Cheese with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and topped with cotija cheese and green onions
    California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Butter Lettuce, Avocado and Green Onion Salad with lemon vinaigrette California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with an Entree of Grilled Chicken Breast with sauteed onions and peppers topped with avocado and salsa, served with a Macaroni and Cheese with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and topped with cotija cheese and green onions California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with an Entree of Grilled Chicken Breast with sauteed onions and peppers topped with avocado and salsa, served with a Macaroni and Cheese with bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and topped with cotija cheese and green onions
  • Dessert of Avocado Lime Pie in a graham cracker crust topped with fresh Oregon strawberries and whipped cream
    California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Dessert of Avocado Lime Pie in a graham cracker crust topped with fresh Oregon strawberries and whipped cream California Avocado Commission and Chef Lisa Schroeder of Mother's Bistro & Bar celebrate June California Avocado Month with Dessert of Avocado Lime Pie in a graham cracker crust topped with fresh Oregon strawberries and whipped cream

Clearly I have been enjoying avocados for a while, though I don’t think it was until I went to college that I first tried them. I remember when I first moved out on my own after college, I even bought a special avocado slicer (though that has since been lost among many moves. My relationship with avocado has prospered without it.)

Some people say that it is a texture thing with the avocados, which is why they don’t like them… but maybe I partially don’t believe that this can’t be conquered. I have rallied to have people try tofu or blue cheese before in recipes successfully, and I think I can do the same with avocados.

One clever way might be this Avocado Pesto recipe I threw together with one of the avocados generously gifted to me by the California Avocado Commission. One of the bunch of avocados was already ripe, and this is a 1 avocado recipe so you don’t have to shell out a lot to try this out. And, it whips up together in minutes with a food processor making the sauce so that by the time the pasta is cooked, you are ready to eat!

In this pesto pasta recipe, the avocado feels creamy, almost like a light alfredo sauce or cheese sauce, but MUCH MUCH HEALTHIER. After all, an avocado contributes nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients while being sodium and cholesterol free and a source of the good, monounsaturated fat that helps lower your LDL cholesterol levels.

Avocado Pesto Recipe

Avocado Pesto, vegetarian and easy to make, has a feel sort of like an alfredo or mac and cheese sauce but much healthier! Avocado Pesto, vegetarian and easy to make, has a feel sort of like an alfredo or mac and cheese sauce but much healthier!

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of pasta (about 14 ounces). I picked vegetable macaroni pasta here, but you can use spaghetti or any kind you’d like
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 3 small garlic cloves
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon, about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1/4 cup of freshly cut basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper or to taste
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated, plus optionally more for serving
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 1 pinch – 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
  • A few pinches of cheddar cheese for topping/serving (optional)

Directions:

  1. Boil water and cook your pasta until al dente as you normally would. This usually means for me boiling a pot of water with a pinch of salt, and then once it is boiling I add the pasta and a quick drizzle of olive oil. This cools the water and I wait for it to come to boiling again and once it does so, after a few minutes I check to see whether it is al dente.
  2. While the water is coming to a boil/the pasta is cooking, in a food processor mix in the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Process these together first until the garlic is basically chopped.
  3. Now, add in the lemon juice, spoon in the avocado (leaving out the skin and pit), the 2 tablespoons of basil, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Process everything until smooth.
  4. Finally, add the milk and process again until fully mixed. Depending on the size of your avocado or your taste, you may want to adjust the salt or pepper or Parmesan until the flavor is to your liking. I know my avocado was large, and I added more Parmesan.
  5. When the pasta is ready, drain the water from the pasta and then mix in this avocado pesto sauce and optionally the red pepper flakes until everything is well combined. Top optionally with cheese of your choice and enjoy!

I added 1 teaspoon of red pepper to my pasta so I could enjoy a little heat, but you can feel free to add just a pinch instead, or ignore all together. Optionally, you can also top with freshly ground pepper and a few pinches of cheddar to reinforce the “cheesiness” of this creamy pasta dish/trick someone into eating avocado. You can also get inspired like the Mac and Cheese of the Avocado Dinner and add textural and flavorful fun with bacon!
Avocado Pesto, vegetarian and easy to make, has a feel sort of like an alfredo or mac and cheese sauce but much healthier!

When you go out to purchase Avocados, look for the sticker and that the word “California” is on the label that proves the avocado is from California rather than from overseas. A few interesting facts:

  • Did you know that California produces approximately 90% of the nation’s avocado crop?
  • California avocados are hand-grown on approximately 5000 small family farms throughout central and southern California
  • There are 7 varieties of avocados in California, with Hass accounting for 95%: the rest of the avocado varieties are named Bacon, Fuerte, Gwen, Lamb Hass, Pinkerton, Reed, and Zutano.
  • The Hass tree was actually patented (the first patent on a tree) but the patent had run out by the time Hass avocados started to become popular.
  • All the Haas avocados are descended from one original Hass Mother Tree from the 1920s. Check here for the story of the Hass Mother Tree!

California Avocado Commission and the sticker for California Avocados California Avocado Commission and their website with recipes, californiavocados.com

For more on avocados, check out the California Avocado social media channels on Facebook California Avocados, Pinterest CA_Avocados Boards that are chock full of recipes, Instagram @CA_Avocados, Twitter handle @CA_Avocados, or the Youtube channel California Avocados.

Disclosure: I attended a complimentary dinner and demonstration promoting California Avocados by the California Avocado Commission and Mother’s Bistro. They did not require I write this post and I have been loving avocados way before this dinner. I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own.

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Elote Pasta Salad

I had some leftover light sour cream from making the Chilled Vegetable Pizza, and it happened to be about 1/3 cup. Immediately I was able to rationalize making a version of another Pinterest recipe I had pinned in the same board, Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad from the blog Cinnamon, Spice and Everything Nice. Mmmm Elote Pasta Salad.

I am a huge fan of elote- I first had it when I lived in Chicago, from the New Maxwell Street Market which actually is not on Maxwell street anymore since being relocated (twice!), but still offers an international array of goods in an open market on summer Sundays that is a mix of flea market with Asian and Hispanic vendors and also Mexican street food fair.

Examples of Elote from my past… the first set of 4 are actually from the New Maxwell Street Market in Chicago, the next two from the farmers market at Pike Place Market in Seattle, and the last from Elote Cafe in Sedona. I wanted to combine the stronger bursts of flavor from those two market experiences with the less scary visual presentation of the last one.
5/18/2008 New Maxwell Street Market, where I saw a few people ordering this roasted corn. You could have it two ways- with the stuff rolled on the cob, or they could cut the corn from the cob and serve it to you in a cup. I chose the latter. You could choose which corn you wanted, lots of black or not so much... 5/18/2008 New Maxwell Street Market what the corn looks like rolled in the butter cheese and chile when still on the cob. 5/18/2008 New Maxwell Street, my roasted corn in a cup, topped with everything: mayo, cheese, parkay butter and chile, for $2 5/18/2008 New Maxwell Street Market, don't know why they were surprised I asked for the chili- what, I can't take it? I totally can, no sweat. It was the mayo and butter that I paused at but since that's how the other people in line had it, so did I.  Elote in progress at the Pike Place Market in Seattle in 2009 Elote at the Pike Place Market in Seattle in 2009 Sedona's Elote Cafe's Elote= Fire roasted corn with spicy mayo, lime and Cotija cheese

Elote is a popular street food in Mexico that consists of corn on the cob that is grilled and then slathered with mayonnaise, sour cream, Cotija cheese, lime juice, salt and spices, and sometimes liquid margarine. F rolls his eyes when he sees me making a beeline for this because of the ingredients, but the flavors are irresistible. You can eat this messily from the cob, or also ask them to cut the kernels into a cup to eat with a spoon for a little less messy face.

It’s hot and smoky from the grill, but creamy from the mayo sour cream mix, a bit of salt from the well salt and cheese, and has a brightness from the lime juice and maybe a bit of spice depending on the amount of chili. For my version I upgraded the call for chili powder or cayenne pepper with ground chipotle chili for more spice and smoke in the flavor profile. And, at least there is no liquid margarine. I adapted the recipe also because didn’t have corn on the cob, but I had some frozen corn kernels and took a cue from Esquites which is similar to elote but using pan roasted corn.

Elote Pasta Salad

Elote Pasta Salad - mixing pasta, pan roasted corn, cotija cheese and avocado Elote Pasta Salad - mixing pasta, pan roasted corn, cotija cheese and avocado

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces pasta
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon chile powder or cayenne pepper, or 2 teaspoons of ground chipotle chili
  • The juice from one lime and the zest, or about 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 cups corn kernels
  • 1 diced avocado
  • 1 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled. You can also use Parmesan, Asiago, or Feta but may want to reduce the amount since the cheese flavor is more intense.

Directions:

  1. First, the pasta. Cook it the normal way in your favorite pot with boiling salted water.You can use any type of pasta you would like, but get one that has a lot of ridges that can hold the dressing- rotini, radiatore, fusilli, and I like little scoopy conchiglie shells or ditalini small tube too
  2. While the water is boiling/pasta cooking, create the elote dressing. Mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chili, lime until smooth. Once the pasta is al dente and rained, put one tablespoon of this dressing into the pasta and stir so all the pasta is coated and won’t stick to each other. Then I put the pasta, as well as the rest of the dressing, into the refrigerator to chill.
    Elote Pasta Salad - elote dressing with the  mayonnaise, sour cream, chili, lime Elote Pasta Salad - elote dressing with the  mayonnaise, sour cream, chili, lime
  3. Now, the corn. Heat the olive oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the corn. Cook 5 to 6 minutes without moving or until corn starts to char. Then toss corn, stir, and repeat to let the corn brown on both sides.
    Elote Pasta Salad - pan roasted corn kernels in process
  4. The easy part is now just bringing all these together. Add the pasta and corn together. Add the dressing a little at a time, mixing gently to coat as you go, until you achieve  your desired flavor mix. Gently toss in the avocado and cheese. If you’d like, top with a dusting of the chili powder and bit more of the crumbled Cotija cheese, and garnish upon serving with a lime wedge.
    Elote Pasta Salad - mixing pasta and corn in elote dressing, cheese and avocado are next Elote Pasta Salad - mixing pasta and corn cheese and avocado in elote dressing

You can make this without the pasta of course, but this made for a nice summer lunch dish for F and I.


Elote Pasta Salad recipe, vegetarian, summer recipe, easy recipe, pasta salad, picnic recipe, avocado, corn salad Elote Pasta Salad recipe, vegetarian, summer recipe, easy recipe, pasta salad, picnic recipe, avocado, corn salad

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