A few weeks ago I heard the doorbell ring so I headed to see who it was. I was surprised by my mailman standing at the door with a box. The ground was blanketed by a foot or so of snow and he was bundled up to keep out the cold. He stood there on my stoop with a giant smile on his face and said “Why are you getting avocados in the mail?” He then proceeded to bribe me, jokingly, with not handing them over unless I gave him one. We both share a love of gardening and he often takes a handful or so of tomatoes from my summer garden on his way to the next house. So I wasn’t shocked by his facetious bribery. We chatted for a while about the weather, gardening, his family and my blog. I swear it wasn’t my diversion tactic to not share the green globes of goodness in that box, but he sauntered off forgetting all about his opening statement.
As the door closed, I bolted to the nearest sharp object to open the box. Inside was a layer of rafia and as I peeled it back, uncovered this….
- Bacon – now how can you go wrong with an avocado named bacon? Right? Delish! and they don’t really taste like bacon.
- Fuerte – This one was so creamy. It was my fave for sure.
- Pinkerton – An interesting shape with a small seed. Delish as well
- Haas – We all know this one. It’s the usual suspect at the market, but SoCal’s tasted far superior to any I’ve ever purchased at the store.
This French Dressing was a staple in my grandmothers house. She passed this recipe down to me and is now a family friendly in our home too.
Ingredients
- 1 10 oz can tomato soup
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups salad oil (such as canola)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced onion or shallot
- 1 teaspoon Dijon or prepared mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 12 large shrimp, deveined and shelled
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 4 large handfulls of mixed greens
- 1 red pepper, julienned
- 6 large mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and sliced
- 4 hard cooked eggs, peeled and quartered
Instructions
- In a quart sized mason jar, add all French dressing ingredients. Shake vigorously to combine. Use immediately, or store in the refrigerator up to a month.
- In a small bowl, add the shrimp, salt and pepper, garlic, olive oil and lime juice. Toss to coat. Allow to marinate for 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray and add the shrimp. Sear for 1 minute and flip. Grill for 1-2 minutes longer. Remove to a plate and allow to cool slightly.
- Add the greens, red pepper, mushrooms and green onions to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of French dressing and toss lightly to coat. Plate the greens on 2 large plates. Divide the shrimp, avocado and hard cooked eggs onto each plate. Serve with extra dressing, if desired.
- Kale Salad with Garlic Tarragon Dressing
- Endive Salad with Stilton, Pear and Walnuts
- Spring Pea, Pepper and Goat Cheese Salad
Recipe By:
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.