Eggs Baked in Avocado with Pico de Gallo

EGGS BAKED IN AVOCADO 
W/ PICO DE GALLO

Upon doing some research it appears that there are quite of a few people who get upset about the idea of baking an egg inside an avocado (see The Kitchn's What's Up With Baking Eggs in Avocados? to get a sense of how many feelings are out there).  Well, I'll tell you what's up with baking eggs in avocados: it's delicious.

It is one of those Pinterest breakfast fads that I've been meaning to try out for a while since it combines my two favorite breakfast foods.  At least twice a week I'll eat an avocado for breakfast at work straight out of its shell, and you all know that if I could top it with a yet-to-be-invented egg yolk condiment, I would.  This would actually be a very good breakfast to make while you're getting ready for work, since it is highly portable once cooled (if you baked the egg to a soft boiled consistency).  You'll see that I accidentally baked the yolks past runny, but ended up glad I did since I realized this could be a good make-ahead grab-and-go snack. 

Yes, it is rich (especially if you add bacon, like so many recipes do).  But that is easily balanced out by topping the egg with a tangy/acidic accoutrement like pico de gallo.  I think smashing the egg and avocado on top of a toast or grilled flatbread also helps cut the richness, but that does defeat the mass appeal of it being a gluten free/paleo breakfast alternative.  

Certainly this is a recipe that you can make your own, but if you love eggs and avocado, you must give it a shot.

Chicken Burrito Bowl

I've never posted such a blatant imitation of a recipe that is pretty widely known by food-consumers nationwide: the Chipotle Burrito Bowl.  But if we're all going to collectively admit anything as a society, it should be that Chipotle is tasty.  So, I  share with you my scientific recreation of the burrito bowl if only to be able to proclaim "NAILED IT," and then enjoy how tasty it is in the comfort of your own home.  Oh, it's probably much less doused in sodium than the restaurant version.

Chipotle and I actually have a historic relationship that dates to the fall of 2000.  So we're talking pretty early on in Chipotle expansion.  I really lucidly remember my first trip to Chiptole as a sophomore in high school (Schaumburg, IL location, if you're curious).  My friends and I sort of made going to Chipotle our thing before Chipotle was a thing.  So I'm loyal.  

How loyal?  I moved to Ann Arbor, MI for college in 2002 and immediately began emailing the Chipotle company about once a month telling them to get their stuff on campus.  REAL PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY EMAIL ME BACK and thank me, telling me they would be in Michigan soon.  They weren't even in the state yet.  I literally had my boyfriend at the time pick up Chipotle in Chicago en route from Madison to Ann Arbor when he would come to visit.  Put that aluminum-swaddled baby on ice.  It wasn't until I was a senior that the chain would open a location near campus, and perhaps by then I was sort of over it.

So, I guess that's sort of my confessional about Chipotle.  I rarely eat there now...but when I do I still think it's good.  And, I think you'll be impressed by how near-to-restaurant taste the recipe here achieves if you're willing to make all the individual components.  I'm sure you could cut out one of the salsas, maybe the guac, and still nail it (but I highly recommend all components).   If you really want to keep things simple, purchase the salsas and guacamole and make the rest at home.

You'll notice I do not include shredded lettuce in my bowl.  Shredded lettuce is offensive.  Also, I don't include cheese (not needed, and keeps this a healthier version). 

Roasted Corn Salad

Returning home from travel abroad is filled with a mixture of emotions, but for me its mostly a difficult withdrawal from the constant state of heightened senses and new, challenging experiences that make travel exhilarating and addicting.  While my family, friends, job, and boyfriend anchor me to Chicago, in another life, perhaps, I would have joined the foreign service, the expat teaching circuit, or found some other excuse to keep moving on to the next city or continent.

To counter this impulse to flee, there needs to be a conscious effort to bring the travel state of mind home with me - to pursue new experiences that might be just around the corner from my apartment, or sit and enjoy the three-dollar-an-ounce cortados at the local coffee shop down the street.  I also need reminders that there are definitely valuable things the States offer that I can't get in Europe.  What are they?  Sushi and Mexican.  With the exception of a 150-year love affair that the French have had with Japanese culture that had produced a good number of sushi establishments in Paris (but why would you go?), and the bizarre kebab-taco joint I stumbled across in Heidelberg (a college town), these two foodstuffs are what I come home craving the most.

So seeing that corn is about "knee high by the fourth of July," I roasted some and satisfied my hunger for some south-of-the-border spice.  The recipe is a more refreshing, lighter version of the rich Mexican esquites in that it has a yogurt-based dressing that produces a spicy/cool flavor combo.  Hold the tomatoes, add some crumbled queso fresco, and use sour cream instead of yogurt if you want something closer to the real deal.  It works as a side, but I usually just have it as a meal.  Plus, its a freakishly cheap recipe when corn is in season, which is always nice after two weeks abroad...and a daily $3 cortado addiction.

Fish Taco Salad

FISH TACO SALAD 
W/ MANGO SALSA 

For Chicagoans emerging from an extended winter/cool spring, summer means street food and outdoor dining.  All the sidewalks are crowded as restaurants creatively squeeze a chair on every square inch of outdoor space.  Each weekend there are at least two street festivals that offers sticky and/or drippy finger foods for every palate.  Don't believe me?  Check out this Chicago Festival Guide.

Ironically, my summer of outdoor eating was kicked off in a little town east of Chicago, known as New York.  They may not have a proper hotdog, but New Yorkers know their street food.  I really wish Chicago had more of their halal carts (but not their pizza...I'll stick with deep dish, thanks).  

I was in New York for Bree's bachelorette weekend and we took full advantage of the perfect weather in order to picnic in Central Park, stop for snacks on the High Line, and do lunch at Smorgasburg across the Brooklyn Bridge.  Smorgasburg is more or less a permanent, more intimate Taste of Chicago, but with better cuisine (and an awesome carousel full of young children, their parents, and a bunch of girls having fun on a bachelorette weekend).  In fact, you can check me out at Smorgasburg on the wonderful blog written by the lovely Lydia called "Today's the Day I..." So, I highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in NYC. 

Our various NYC street eats

It worked out perfectly that I made a version of this fish taco salad last week and wanted to improve it for a post, since it goes nicely with the street food theme.  Basically imagine all the traditional condiments on a tilapia fish taco, but without the tortilla and some mango salsa for kicks.   It got two thumbs up from Bree's financé, Brad, who didn't eat seafood until he tried the cilantro ginger shrimp I made last week!  It may seem like lots of ingredients, but it actually comes together pretty quickly once everything is chopped.  Overall, its a really great healthy but hearty summer salad that you should go make as soon as is humanly possible.

citrus cilantro salmon with mango salsa

CITRUS CILANTRO SALMON 
EN PAPILLOTE 
W/ MANGO SALSA

Teaching in a high school with an enrollment of over 4,000 can sometimes mean that I rarely bump into former students once they leave my classroom for the summer.  This was the case with a student I ran into last week, and I was very happy to get to chat with a young man who is a model of both academic and emotional intelligence (off to Princeton next fall...a real dummy).  Anyways, its always nice to bump into these now-seniors because its a totally different conversational dynamic - I mean, he really earnestly asked how I was doing and what was new in my life.  We had become two adults talking.  So I told him: "Oh, I started a food blog." He responded approvingly, "That's so city.  I mean, its urban-y." 

I just got a real kick out of that response.  I don't tell my students much at all, if anything, about my personal life, but many know that I've been blogging about something.  They've taught me a great deal about how to be a better blogger, and blogging has taught me a great deal about how to be a better teacher.

Since I've started blogging, I have been able to make more meaningful connections with a whole demographic of students who know much more than me about coding and social media.  By troubleshooting my tech dilemmas before class, that role reversal between teacher and student has been important for re-shaping the whole classroom dynamic.   Even when we have to switch back to talking history, I think the atmosphere is much more collaborative having had some real authentic learning exchanges where students are the experts.  When I learn something with my students, I feel more comfortable being transparent about my learning and stumbling with tech tools I hope will help them out.  They really appreciate that they aren't alone in the stumbling process, in general.   So when I totally fail with some technology adaptation I know they aren't judging me as a person, just as when they struggle learning to think and write historically they know I'm not judging them as as people.  We're just learning together and sharing our expertise.
I guess that's really what this social media revolution is all about - everyone being transparent in hopes that their knowledge helps someone else, or someone else will help build up their expertise.  Seems like folks in the foodie world really got that down.  Like many foodies,  I'm super sensitive to design - especially how people interact with objects and spaces, including web space - so I believe educators need to get a lot more savvy with the web and social media if we're ever going to re-market ourselves as relevant, important, professionals.  Given that a restaurant's website will really influence my experience in person, I get that my classroom needs an online presence that argues for an experience students will have in person.  Blogging has really helped me figure all this out.

So in the spirit of learning and transparency, I share with you one of my favorite meals to make when the sun is shining: citrus cilantro salmon en papillote with mango salsa.  Comment and tell me what you think!