Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad Recipe
This past week, the weather in the PNW finally started to warm up and that’s when we love to barbecue! One of my favorite side dishes is my corn, tomato & avocado salad. It’s easy to prepare, even on a boat. A crowd favorite for sure!
This salad is so versatile, that you can really add any of your favorite veggies or beans. Often, I’ll add black beans and chicken to make it a complete meal. I use fresh corn, but you can also use frozen corn. Simply microwave it for about one minute. Try to find an avocado that is not too ripe, as you don’t want it to be mushy.
The best way to cut up an avocado, is to slice it in half. Then CAREFULLY stab the seed with a knife, turn it sideways and the seed should pop out. Then using a large spoon, scoop out the avocado and cut it up.
I use a simple lime dressing for this corn, tomato and avocado salad. Be sure to let it marinate in the dressing for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!
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Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad
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This is a very easy salad to make and everyone loves it. The citrus in the lime dressing will prevent the avocado from turning brown. This salad is best when you use all fresh vegetables and lime juice.
Instructions
Hold the ears of corn upright in a large bowl. Using a sharp knife, saw off the kernels into the bowl. Add the remaining diced vegetables.
Juice the entire lime into a small bowl and add remaining dressing ingredients. Whisk to blend well and taste. If you want it zestier or spicy, simply adjust to your taste preference.
Add the dressing to the salad, mixing carefully so you don't mush the avocado. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
What’s for Breakfast? Try our Red Bell Pepper & Onion Frittata!
I love to make a frittata when we stay on the boat. They are so easy, especially when you use the Xpress Redi Set Go Cooker
. Scott bought two of these portable ovens long before we bought Kokomo, with the intention of using them on the boat.
We use our Xpress Redi oven for things like pizza, baking chicken, grilled cheese sandwiches and toasting bagels.
For this frittata recipe, you can either saute’ the veggies first or simply add them to your egg mixture. Give yourself at least 10-15 minutes for it to cook completely in the center. Be careful when you serve it, as it will be piping hot! Enjoy!
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Red Bell Pepper & Onion Frittata
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This recipe can be altered in many ways. Just add your favorite veggies and protein for a delicious breakfast!
Instructions
Remove any dividers in the Redi Oven and pre-heat it. Whisk the eggs with the milk and add seasonings, veggies and cheese.
Spray the Redi Oven with non-stick spray and carefully pour in the egg mixture. Make sure to leave some room, as the egg will expand. Otherwise it will overflow. Close the lid and cook for about 12-15 minutes until cooked in the center.
Using a spatula, remove the frittata to a plate and cut into quarters. Serve with your favorite side dish or fresh fruit.
Recipe Notes
If you are not using the Redi Oven, you can use an omlet pan that is oven safe. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Spray the pan with non-stick spray and heat on medium high. Pour in the egg mixture and cook on the stove top for about 2 minutes.
Move the pan to the oven and continue cooking until the center is thoroughly cooked, about 12 minutes.
Sunday Dinner – Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
Growing up, my mom always made homemade spaghetti sauce from scratch. That’s partly because we didn’t have jarred sauce when I was a kid. With the fast pace of the 1990’s & early 2000’s, it seemed as if everyone started buying jarred sauce due to its’ convenience. I certainly did. Now, many retailers including Safeway and Whole Foods have a huge variety of jarred sauces.
However, over time, I started to notice that most of the jarred sauces lacked true flavor and in fact, were packed with sugar. That’s when I started making my own sauce and freezing batches of it. Instead of using sugar, I use a stevia sweetener from Pyure Organics.
You can certainly make homemade spaghetti sauce on a boat, as you just need one pot. Give yourself a few hours though, because it is best after it’s been cooking all day. What’s great about this recipe, is you can tweak it anyway you want. If you want it spicy, add some crushed red pepper. Want more zip? Add some more vinegar. Less tangy? Add some sugar.
When I make my sauce, I try it every half hour or so, to ensure I’m getting the final flavor I am looking for. This is a hearty dish that will satisfy any hungry boater or crowd! Please share with us your favorite homemade sauces. Enjoy!
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Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
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Give yourself a few hours to allow the flavors to blend together. This is a very hearty sauce that everyone in your family will love.
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven on medium high heat and add beef and sausage, breaking up the chunks. Brown meat all over.
Lower heat to medium. Add celery, carrots, onion, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender, but do not caramelize. Add tomato paste and red wine and cook for about 2-4 minutes, until slightly reduced.
Add whole tomatoes and break up with a wooden spoon to desired thickness & texture. Add vinegar and stevia & blend well. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Be sure to taste the sauce every half hour to ensure you get the flavor you want.
Serve with your favorite pasta noodles and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Antipasto Chicken Salad for a Hungry Crowd
This antipasto chicken salad recipe is perfect has a meal and it’s very easy to make. I make this recipe all year round, not just during the summer. You can add more meat to it for a heartier dish and serve it with warm crunchy bread for the perfect meal.
When Scott and I first bought our boat Kokomo, I didn’t think we would prepare that many meals on board. But once we fell in love with being at our marina, enjoying the views of DT Seattle, I love to eat on board. The biggest challenge I have is working in a small space with not a lot of counter space. With that said, I buy ingredients that are already cooked or prepared when I make meals on our boat.
In this recipe, I will either pre-make the chicken at home or buy cooked chicken from the deli at Safeway. You could also use a rotisserie chicken too. Enjoy!
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Antipasto Chicken Salad
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This hearty salad is perfect for a hungry dinner crowd. Buy cooked chicken from the grocery store deli, add crunchy bread and you have dinner prepared!
Ingredients
Italian Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients
Italian Vinaigrette Dressing
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Instructions
Whisk the vinaigrette dressing ingredients until blended together. When ready to serve, toss salad ingredients with dressing (use as little or as much to your taste). Serve immediately with a warm baguette.
An Elegant Hors d’oeuvres – Onion Tartlets
Tis the holiday season and this onion tartlet hors d’oeuvres recipe is classy & delicious. Our marina is having a holiday party and all of the boats will be dressed up. This is a great occasion to meet other boaters and enjoy tasty treats and cocktails. This recipe is one I can easily prepare and share at the holiday party. Recently, I served these onion tartlets along with baby potatoes with caviar and potato chips with smoked salmon as appetizers. They were a hit!
One of the challenges of serving appetizers is keeping them warm. Which is why I like to stick with those that can be enjoyed at room temperature. You can make the onion tartlets ahead of time and bring them up to room temperature when ready to serve. At home, we bake them in our oven. On a boat, you can easily use a toaster oven.
Toaster Ovens
Speaking of toaster ovens, we found this awesome one from Cuisinart and now it’s on our wish list! It has 7 cooking functions, including an AirFryer! This will definitely go on our live-aboard.
Happy Holidays and enjoy!
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Onion Tartlets
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These onion tartlets are perfect for any cocktail party and they are very easy to make! Serve them warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!
Instructions
Heat oven to 350º. In a large skillet, heat olive oil on medium high and add onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often. Make sure that the heat is not too high, as you don't want to scorch the onions. Add oregano, thyme crushed red pepper and brandy. Cook the onions until they are tender and caramel in color.
Remove from heat and add cream cheese, egg and parmesan cheese. Place fillo shells on a cookie sheet and fill each one with the onion mixture. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until cooked thoroughly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chicken Tortilla Soup for a Cold Winter’s Day
There’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot soup on a cold winter’s day and we love my chicken tortilla soup. It’s super easy to make and it doesn’t take long. This would be the perfect soup to make on a boat, as the cooking time is short and as a result it doesn’t create a lot of condensation in your cabin.
The cabin on our boat is small and so any type of heat we generate in the winter, quickly creates condensation on our hatches. If we crack them open, the rain gets in, so it’s a lose lose situation. That’s why I like to make recipes that don’t require a lot of cooking time. This chicken tortilla soup is hearty and a crowd favorite! Enjoy.
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Chicken Tortilla Soup
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This hearty soup is perfect on a cold day and easy to prepare on boat. Serve it with cheese quesadillas and everyone will be in heaven.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small jalepeno, diced and seeded I prefer to use fresno or red jalapenos
- 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 12oz can petite diced tomatoes with chilies
- 1 medium cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 cup corn (frozen, fresh or canned)
- 1 12oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 48 oz chicken stock, low sodium
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 sm avocado, sliced
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
- cheddar cheese, shredded
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small jalepeno, diced and seeded I prefer to use fresno or red jalapenos
- 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 12oz can petite diced tomatoes with chilies
- 1 medium cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 cup corn (frozen, fresh or canned)
- 1 12oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 48 oz chicken stock, low sodium
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 sm avocado, sliced
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
- cheddar cheese, shredded
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Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large stock pot and add onion, garlic, jalapeno and bell pepper. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add spices and salt & pepper. Add tomatoes, chicken, corn, black beans and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and return to a simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Be sure to taste the soup along the way and adjust spices to your preferences for spiciness.
Ladle into bowls and top soup with cilantro, green onions, avocado, sour cream and tortillas.
Hearty Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Carrots and Potatoes
It’s finally winter and who doesn’t love beef stew? This recipe is set up to make in an oven, but you can easily make it on a stove top using a Dutch oven. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on an expensive Dutch oven. I bought my Martha Stewart Enameled Cast Iron 6 qt. Round Casserole
Dutch Oven for just $99. Simply keep it at a simmer, stir often and be sure to check on it regularly.
Whether you have been boating all day or working outside in the yard, there’s nothing more comforting than a bowl of hot stew with tender beef. I recently served this for one of my dinner parties, with homemade artisan bread and it was a huge hit! Enjoy!
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Hearty Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Carrots and Potatoes
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This hearty stew is elegant enough to serve at your finest dinner parties or for your hungry boating crowd. Give yourself at least three hours to cook it for the ideal taste and tenderness.
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 300º. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven on medium high. Cook bacon until crisp and remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered plate. Cut chuck roast into 2" pieces. Season beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef on all sides, then remove from pot and set aside with bacon.
Add remaining olive oil to Dutch oven and add onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Add garlic cloves, beef and bacon to the pot. Add thyme, bay leaves and red wine, cooking for about 5 minutes. Add beef stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and place pot in oven. Cook for 2 hours and check regularly. Add more broth if needed.
Add carrots, mushrooms and potatoes to beef stew and continue cooking in oven for 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven and return pot to stovetop. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Heat pot to a simmer. Add water to corn starch and add to beef stew to thicken. Stir gently. If it thickens too much, simply add a bit more stock. Serve with warm artisan bread.
Vegetarian Enchiladas
Vegetarian enchiladas on a boat? Okay, so I know we can’t make enchiladas on our boat unless we get a toaster oven. Scott and I have looked into getting one, but we don’t know how much time we would spend on the boat during the winter. A toaster oven would take up a lot of counter space and during the summer, we use our Magma Gas Grill
Then there’s the question, of which one to buy? There are many choices out there and since we don’t own one personally, we wonder what would be best? For me, I would want one that can easily bake without scorching the food. At the same time, I don’t want to spend a lot of money on something we might not use a lot. So stay tuned and we’ll let you know what we decide.
In the meantime, I still wanted to share with you one of my favorite healthy recipes. This is a great dish for a Sunday evening after you have spent all weekend boating and want some healthy comfort food. In this recipe, we are using canned green enchilada sauce for ease of prep on a boat.
This recipe does call for a lot of chopped vegetables. As I have mentioned before, I love my Onion & Vegetable Chopper. Here’s a quick demo video:
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Vegetarian Enchiladas
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These vegetarian enchiladas are so delicious that even the meat lovers love them!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup white mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 12oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 10" tortillas, flour & corn combo or use your favorite type of tortilla
- 1 12oz can green chile enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato, chopped
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup white mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 1/2 cup orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 12oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 6 10" tortillas, flour & corn combo or use your favorite type of tortilla
- 1 12oz can green chile enchilada sauce
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato, chopped
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Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute' mushrooms, onion and bell peppers. Season with crushed red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin. Cook until tender and add garlic. Add zucchini and black beans and remove from heat.
Pre-heat oven to 375º. Warm tortillas in microwave under a moistened paper towel for about 15 seconds. Grease a 9 x 13 casserole dish and spread about 1/8 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish. Holding a tortilla, fill it with about 1/6 of the bean mixture and carefully roll up and place in dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. (If you have left over bean mixture, you can spread it on top of the enchiladas). Pour enchilada sauce evenly over all of the tortillas, covering each of them. Sprinkle cheese and cover with non-stick foil. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
Top with chopped green onions, cilantro and tomato. Serve immediately.
Cheese Tortellini Pasta Recipe
Fresh cheese tortellini pasta can be found in the cheese section of your grocery store. While my Italian friends will only make fresh pasta from scratch, I find it much easier to just buy it freshly made. Our local Safeway and Whole Foods both have great selections of fresh pasta.
Pasta is one of the easiest things to prepare on a boat , since you really just need two pots. One for boiling pasta and the other for the sauce. When entertaining guests on a boat, the last thing you want to do is be spending time in the galley cooking all day. I would rather be sharing a glass of wine or a cocktail with my guests. What I love about this cheese tortellini pasta recipe is that it is super easy and hearty for the hungry sailors at dinner. I love to serve this over the Holidays as it is also festive in color.
Since this pasta is so rich, I love to pair it with a mild green salad.
Enjoy!
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Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Asparagus & Mushrooms
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This pasta is very rich and hearty. Serve it with your favorite salad and crusty bread and you have the perfect dinner!
Instructions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions, mushrooms, garlic and prociutto. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until prociutto is slightly crispy. Season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.
Cook pasta according to directions and be sure to not over cook or boil too hard. Reserve a 1/2 cup of pasta liquid.
Add whipping cream to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer for about 5 minutes until thickened slightly. Add asparagus and cook for another 3-5 minutes until tender. If you need to thicken the sauce more, add some of the reserved pasta liquid. Add pasta and shredded cheese to the cream mixture and blend well. Serve with crusty bread.
. Scott bought two of these portable ovens long before we bought 
Dutch Oven for just $99. Simply keep it at a simmer, stir often and be sure to check on it regularly.
