Weekend Cooking..Doce de Mayo

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You might remember..ok, you don't...but for Christmas we had a Mexican dinner that included some Mexican Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas. Well, when I bought that pork shoulder at my local Sam's Club there were actually two in the package. So before it turned to a big hunk of ice in the freezer and I had to toss it, it was time to cook it! Last Sunday, being Cinco de Mayo, it was time for some more Carnitas. A lot of carnitas...then I had the leftovers for a few days, perfect for some toasty, cheesy quesadillas. Some pork, some salsa, some cheese, some cilantro...

fold you up and...into the frying pan with you!

We had rice and black beans as well that evening, and of course some delicious guacamole. But when I bought the avocados, one was not quite ripe, so I put it aside.
Yesterday it was ripe.
Very ripe, so what to do with one lone avocado? A wee bit of guacamole...or how about this deconstructed guacamole from this weeks America's Test Kitchen newsletter. Yes, indeed, I made a half batch, with one avocado and one pepper..an it went very well with that pork quesadilla! Fresh and just a little spicy and a great way to celebrate the 12th of May!

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Avocado Salad
from America's Test Kitchen

Why this recipe works: Tasters liked the consistently sweet taste of grape tomatoes compared with other varieties. Tasters also liked the flavor of minced garlic present in many guacamole salad recipes, but thought raw onions were just too harsh, so we used scallions instead. Steeping the garlic and scallions in lime juice for a few minutes before combining them with the avocados mellowed their flavor. We wanted plenty of peppers for crunch and bulk, but a large quantity of jalapeños made the salad too hot to eat. Milder poblanos, with just a hint of heat, were a better choice. If you can't find poblano peppers, substitute an equal number of Anaheim chiles, or a large green bell pepper mixed with up to 2 tablespoons of minced jalapeño chile.

Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• Salt and pepper 
• 4 scallions, sliced thin 
• 1 garlic clove, minced 
• 1 tablespoon grated lime zest 
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 2 poblano chiles, seeded and sliced into 2-inch matchsticks 
• 2 ripe avocados, pitted, skinned, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 

Instructions:

1. SALT TOMATOES Toss tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Transfer to paper towel-lined baking sheet and let drain 15 minutes.

2. MAKE DRESSING Combine scallions, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in large bowl. Let sit 5 minutes, then slowly whisk in oil.

3. TOSS SALAD Add chiles, avocados, cilantro, and drained tomatoes to bowl with dressing and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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