Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Awhile back I had started a blog focusing solely on food...but it wasn't really my thing. It's not that I don't adore food (which if you haven't figured out yet, you will very quickly), I just wasn't feeling the whole blog thing yet.  

But I wasn't looking back through it, getting ready to delete all of it's existence, when I stumbled across this recipe. Although my balcony is now covered in a good few inches of snow,if you're like me and want to enjoy a spritz of the summer that once was, this is the recipe to do it! 

...Zesty Shrimp and Avocado Salad!!!

To make this fabulous little dish you will need:

1/2 of a chopped red onion

the juices of 2 limes

2 tbsp (approx.) extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped cilantro 

1 diced avocado

2 diced medium tomatoes

1/2 kilogram of cooked and peeled shrimp

salt and pepper to taste

In small bowl, combine red onion, juice of limes, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Let sit for AT LEAST five minutes (this is especially important if you aren't a huge fan of red onions in the first place, like me), this takes the bite out of the onions and really let's all the flavours marinate together.

In a larger bowl, combine shrimp, avocado and tomato.  Top with chopped cilantro.

Pour contents of smaller bowl in with the shrimp mixture, and toss gently.

  

Et voila!!!

Garnish with cilantro if you're looking to go all classy on all of us.

For maximum enjoyment, serve on a balcony, preferably while basking in the evening sun (or if you happen to be in a snowbound city, then inside, wrapped up in a blanket, dreaming of the sunshine).

This probably serves around four people, depending on if you use it as a full meal or as a side.  If you're not a fan of cilantro, try cutting it down by half...it still gives you a bit of flavour but it's not as "in your face". 

Taco-Style Chili

Although we have yet to get our first "real" snowfall in Prince George (and by real I'm talking more than six inches, doesn't melt within a couple days kinda snow), the weather has definitely gotten chillier and its time to batten down the hatches.

What better way to do that than by making chili?

I'm not a huge fan of going completely off of recipes, mostly because I forget my shopping list every time I hike down to the store, but this is basically what you'll need:

~Ground beef

~Chili powder

~Stewed tomatoes

~Mushrooms

~Corn

~Red and green bell peppers

~Celery

~Onions

~Garlic

~LOADS of different beans

I put my beef on to brown before I started chopping up all the veggies.

Once you have all your ingredients collected you can throw it into a big crockpot - or a normal pot, but personally I like my crockpot much more because I can just leave it plugged in and not worry about burning the house down.

Give it a good stir, and let it do it's thing!  Once it's cooked long enough (which really depends on what setting you turned your pot to), dish it out onto a bed of couscous/rice/quinoa/bread!

It turned out fabulously! What I found was a bit odd about it was how it didn't appear anything like the typical chili I was picturing.  Neither did my roommate, who came in an said "Did you make taco soup?!" (even though it's not nearly close to soupy texture), therefore we dubbed this meal "Taco-Style Chili".

And for all you university students out there like me who are pressed for time/money/etc, I've been eating this for days now...and I've thrown some in the freezer to heat up later during the semester - possibly during exam time?! 

Let me know how this turns out for you, and what other things could be added to make it even more spectacular???