I'm having a few lovelies over my house from college to gift them my Traditional Holiday Ornament. My mother started giving me Christmas ornaments every year awhile ago and I wanted to practice the tradition as well with some of my girlfriends. Since I do not normally entertain guests at my home, I figured I would break out the china and Crate n Barrel wares lol to entertain my guests with a healthy and tasty meal. ;0)
Here is what's on my menu:
Starting with a salad of course ;)
Mandarin Herb and Almond Salsa Salad
For this recipe you will need:
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
2 cans of Mandarin Oranges (I prefer Dole) or you can buy them fresh and separate yourself
1 box of Herb mix salad (I prefer Herb over any other mix but you can substitute to taste)
1 bag of Almonds
1/8 tsp Freshly Ground black pepper
1 tsp Sea Salt (please toss out that table salt, sea salt is much better for you)
1 Large Avocado
2/3 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup chopped Fresh cilantro leaves
1 Jar of salsa or if you are really a DIY girl you can certainly make the salsa from scratch
Preparation:
In a large bowl whisk together the salt, pepper and lime juice.
In a heavy bottomed skillet, spread your almonds out in an even layer and heat over medium, shaking often – don't overcrowd your nuts. Keep stirring or shaking for about 5 minutes, or until nuts are fragrant and browned.
Peel the avocado and add this along with the onions and cilantro to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the ingredients together, being careful to not mash the avocados. Add reserved orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, and add in the salsa until salsa is moist but not soupy.
Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and set aside for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips. Add the toasted Almonds last on top of the herb mix greens and salsa dollup.
For the main entree I will make my famous Mac and Cheese, served in small bowls, Stuffed Chicken breast with spinach and feta and sauteed Normandy veggies.
For dessert I want to have my favorite Roman Raspberry Sorbetto by Talenti, this stuff is to die for!
