Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Avocado and Cucumber Tower Topped with a Parsley Salad



Tonight I wanted to make a special appetizer. I don’t use my presentation molds as often as I would like. When it is just the two of us for dinner it seems rather silly to make fancy looking dishes. However today I decided I am going to concentrate more on presentation, especially when it is just the two of us. No one is more important to me than my precious husband so why shouldn't I spoil him every day. Here is the healthy appetizer I made for us tonight.

Avocado and Cucumber Tower Topped with a Parsley Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large red tomato, sliced thinly into 8 pieces
½ lemon, zested and juiced
1 avocado, finely diced
1 cup seedless cucumber, finely diced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
1 teaspoon dulse granules
1 clove garlic, minced
black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons parsley leaves with a little stem
1 teaspoon lemon juice
pickled red onion, for garnish - optional

Directions:

Slice the tomato as thinly as you can and make a little bed of tomato on two plates.

Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, avocado, cucumber, red onion, dulse granules, garlic, and black pepper and stir to thoroughly combine. Taste for seasoning and correct as necessary.

Place a presentation mold on top each plate with tomato slices. Put ½ of the avocado cucumber mixture into each mold. Press the mixture into the mold. Slowly remove the presentation mold.

Coat the parsley with lemon juice and divide it into two bundles with all the stems down. Take the stems and stick them into the top of the avocado and cucumber tower.

Sprinkle the sliced tomatoes with pickled onions, if using, and a salt and pepper. Serve immediately before the avocado begins to oxidize.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 198.08
Calories From Fat (60%) - 118.02

Total Fat - 14.08g
Saturated Fat - 1.95g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 48.23mg
Potassium - 1062.58mg
Total Carbohydrates - 18.77g
Fiber - 9.72g
Sugar - 4.03g
Protein - 4.78g

Comments:

If you like guacamole this is basically a fancy presentation of a basic version with cucumber. I substituted lemon for lime, because that is what I had. If I had jalapeno in the house I would have added that to avocado and cucumber mixture.

This dish has over 5700IU of vitamin A, 110mg vitamin C, 119mg calcium, 190mcg folate, 1012mcg of vitamin K, and 115mg of phosphorus. It amazes me to see the nutrition information on meals that are all vegetables and/or fruit. Seeing the nutrients every meal makes it easier for me to make the healthiest choices going forward.

8 comments:

  1. Just one word: Gorgeous...no, wait two words:

    Gorgeously enticing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rose,

    Thanks! I decided this afternoon to actively work on food presentation. We will see how long this phase lasts. However, for the time being it is fun to play with my food, which is what this feels like to me. I can be such a food geek.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  3. Debra,

    Thanks! I tried. The best part is that it took me under 5 minutes to make them beginning to end.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! Serious Michelin quality presentation. Great idea to mix the Avocado with the Cucumber. Never heard of 'dulse granules'? Have you mentioned those before?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Shenandoah,

    Thanks for the nice compliment. That made me smile.

    I think I have mentined dulse granules before but probably in a casual way. I buy them at our local healthfood store. They are salty but very low in sodium. I think 34mg of sodium in a teaspoon (but am not positive). Sorry I can't confirm that at the momen I am not home now. What would I do without my electronic gadgets?

    I will try to post something specifically about the dulse granules later today or tomorrow.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  6. That looks delicious! I don't know what presentation molds are, but my old work (where they served lunch everyday) would pack rice in small coffee cups, and it came out just like your avocado creation! And yes, I'm new to dulse granules, and would love to hear your analysis!

    ReplyDelete
  7. PaganAngel,

    Thanks for letting me know you liked my presentation. My husband thought it was a little "foo foo".

    Presentation molds look like tall smooth stainless steel cans that are open on both ends. Mine came in round and square shapes. I got them from Williams Sonoma if you want to see if they still carry them. They were really inexpensive.

    I will try to remember to do a post on dulse later today. I got in way too late tonight to do it after cooking class.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete

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