I don't really have a lot of time to cook, and I get to a certain point every two weeks or so where the glorious stock of pretty greens and snappingly crisp peppers have been put to proper use and all I'm left with is a hodgepodge of stuff that's seen better days (and seasons). What to do? Grab an avocado, for starters.
I've gotten in the habit of picking up four or five of these at a time from Trader Joe's, usually around a Thursday. Due to my work schedule, I never eat a full meal at home on the weekends (shame on me, for real). So if I buy on Thursday, they're usually ready to go by Monday or Tuesday and I don't miss out on them over the weekend. Avocados have been my go-to workhorse when I want something creamy and healthy, two words that are usually mutually exclusive. They can work as a salad dressing, mayo substitute on sandwiches and when ripe enough, a lush dip right out of the skin for veggies and chips.
They're awesome when served warm too. And on this rainy day, that's just what I was looking for.
I love corn, so I threw that in a container, along with some lentils I bought earlier in the week. Lentils are great, especially since they smell like meat when you nuke 'em and they taste--and feel--hearty as anything. I also added a diced tomato for color.
I nuked the corn and lentils for two minutes so they'd be very hot, then added the diced tomatoes, avocado salt, pepper, cayenne and a sprinkle of almond milk cheese to get everything in there that I wanted: Something hot, something spicy, something creamy and something filling.
No, I was NOT hungover today.
Think about it like a huge bowl of chunky, kitchen-sink guacamole. Now that I think about it, black beans would have been awesome in this.
And yes, I do get a little avocado-d out sometimes. Maybe steamed butternut squash instead of the avocado would be nice in this. Making it look pretty is what Instagram is for, just grab whatever you have laying around, heat it up and let the flavors do the rest. Your stomach (and mood) will thank you.
