Recipe #1 - Avocado Hollandaise

Hello Friends!

So, here I am, ready to share with you the first recipe I chose out of "Eat Drink Shine: Inspiration From Our Kitchen" -   Avocado Hollandaise!

Ok, ok... I know that a hollandaise sauce isn't really going big or going home - but I figured that it's best for me to start off small, you know, K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid for those of you who didn't know).

Those who know me may notice how much I love 2 things: eggs and avocado. I eat them on the reg because they are versatile, packed with nutrients (protein, healthy fat, not to mention all those micronutrients) and DELICIOUS. So, when I opened the cook book to Chapter 1, Wake Up & Shine, I got a little excited. Several recipes in this chapter are close to recipes that I already enjoy. These Blissful Sisters and I were meant to be together!

So, let's get started: First, the shopping:

The very best part of this recipe is that I only needed to purchase ONE thing! Everything else I have on hand in my cupboards or frig, because, like I said, I eat them regularly.

• 1 ripe avocado (How do you know when an avocado is ripe?)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (took me about a quarter lemon to get this much juice.)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill (This is what I had to purchase, in the summer, my herbs & spices garden would have this for me!)
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Tabasco)
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (a pantry staple!)
• sea salt, to taste (we LOVE our pink Himalayan sea salt!)

Serving suggestion is to drizzle this hollandaise over poached or soft boiled eggs and on a bed of greens, so add to your list:

• eggs (for how ever many folks you're feeding - for me, 2 please)
• 1 handful of fresh/organic greens, spinach or kale. (I have spinach on hand for smoothies, salads, and more!)

... they also have an AMAZING sounding cured salmon recipe that calls for this sauce and/or an avocado mash. But that takes 3-4 days in the frig, so it's going to have to be put on the back burner. (Sorry for the kitchen pun, I can't help myself!)

Ok, now that we have our ingredients, let's get this creamy deliciousness started:

• Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the flesh into a food processor or blender. (Blendtec for me!) Blend for 30 seconds or so.
• Add the lemon juice, dill and hot sauce and pulse two or three times. 
• Slowly drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until the mixture is smooth an pourable.  If the sauce is too thick, you can add water, a tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.
• Season with salt just before serving.

While I LOVE my Blendtec, I've found that using it as a food processor, especially small batches, it's just too powerful and the pitcher is too large. So, it took some patience and plenty of scraping to keep the avocado flesh within reach of the spinning vortex of doom, er, the blades.

So, now that I had the sauce, it was time to cook something to pour it on!

I love poached eggs, and my great grandma Lillian used to wave her magic wand (a silver slotted spoon) and create the perfect textured, perfectly soft boiled, folded neatly poached eggs. I am not my GG Lillian (well, for many reasons - one of which is that I've never owned a monkey!). So, I use a modern convenience that allows me to have very good poached eggs out of the ... ... ... microwave. I know, it's sad. But, it's yummy and fast and better than eating powdered donuts or sugar cereal every morning, right?

So, I grabbed a couple of eggs, cracked them in my egg poacher, sprinkled on sea salt, pepper and a little paprika, and placed them in the magic box for 1:05. While that was cookin', I grabbed a plate, some spinach and 3 fresh strawberries.

And here it is!

First Bite:  Warm and gooey yolk mixed with the cool, creamy and a little zippy (remember the Tobasco!) of the sauce was a fantastic pairing! There was too much soft texture for me, though. I needed some crunch, so I went ahead and toasted some of my favorite organic and seedy bread. Toast really brought out the texture and subtle flavors between the slightly salty yolk and the tang of the lemon and dill and bite of the Tobasco against the sweet avocado. The pictures show my avocado almost over-ripe, but the flavor was perfect!

Second, third, and ... well, last bite:  10 out of 10, would make again!  Eggs are always satisfying, but this felt fancy without being a lot of work. Easily something I could mix up during the week. The lemon, dill and Tobasco weren't flavors that I'd ever put together, but I'm glad I did!

The book's TIP for this recipe is to make and use the same day for best flavor. The recipe also suggests that it's a great dressing or sauce for a green salad, fish, rice, a dipping sauce for veggies and to use in lieu of sandwich spread. So, it'll be interesting how it tastes and looks tomorrow!

One of the many reasons I wanted to spend some time writing and cooking with all of you is to practice more mindful eating. So often we let life get in the way of truly enjoying whole and wholesome foods, from eating them sitting down with utensils and conversation, and allow those foods to nourish more than our bodies.  Convenience foods, and scheduling tug-of-wars between work, activities, and errands, have all but ruined dinner time for many.  I'm excited to take the time to chop and mix, taste and savor, and eventually wield my own silver slotted magic wand. I'm a masterpiece in progress, and I'm excited to share that process with all of you!

If you'd like to find this recipe: Eat Drink Shine, Page 26
Makes about 1 Cup
Estimated cost to make:
If I had to purchase all items - 

• Avocado - $1.25
• Lemon - $.89
• Fresh Dill - $2.19 (but I didn't use very much!)
• Hot Sauce - $3.14
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil - around $5.00 (but can be MUCH more, depending on brand)
• Sea Salt - $5.99 

For a Grand Total of $18.46. But, let's face it, the only part of this recipe that is used completely is the avocado. I bet you'll find you have most of these items in your pantry and frig already. And if you do, stop what you're doing and make this hollandaise!!!

I hope you have a chance to enjoy this sauce, and look forward to hearing what you think!

Until next time, with a full tummy and a happy heart <3

jen