Turkey Lurkey?

Well, I guess it was inevitable. Fifteen years ago, Jack and I stopped eating red meat (beef, pork, lamb, etc.) and haven’t missed it much (after the first year or so, anyway). We are now considering giving up turkey. As he said “one step closer to total vegetarianism”. Why, you may ask, are we pondering this additional change to our diets?

Here he is:

It would be stretching it a bit to call him “cute”, but there is a certain appealing way he struts into the yard when I fill the birdfeeders, waiting until I step back onto the patio before running under the feeders where I have “accidentally” spilled some extra seed. I don’t know what he does with his days, but whenever I fill the feeders he is around somewhere. One of the feeders makes a scratching noise as I screw off the top, and Jack thinks that is what attracts the turkey.

Yesterday, as Jack mowed the lawn, the turkey wasn’t fazed at all. He was eating, that large noisy John Deere be damned!

Spooky doesn’t know what to make of this large bird. He will sit, tail twitching, and watch the turkey graze.

So as we watched the big ol’ bird this morning, Jack mentioned that he has started to feel badly about eating turkey now. I agreed, but I wonder what we will do at Thanksgiving. :)

Creamy Avocado Dressing

Recipe: Creamy Avocado Dressing



How could I not be inspired by this fabulous head of butter lettuce and bunch of Easter Egg radishes?

On my friend Jenni’s recommendation, I picked up a bag of mixed pepitas, pine nuts, and slivered almonds at Trader Joe’s. I then found these wonderful salad fixings in the organic section of a nearby food co-op, and just had to make a gorgeous spring salad. I had made a creamy avocado salad dressing the previous day, and it was the perfect touch.

I developed this salad dressing because I had one extremely ripe avocado which needed to be used immediately. Dinner was already planned, and precluded adding anything made of avocado to it. So I mixed up the dressing, using plain fat-free yogurt for creaminess, pressed plastic wrap on the surface and, lo and behold, it stayed nice in the refrigerator for 5 days.

Maybe I will subsequently experiment with different seasonings (cumin comes to mind, or powdered chipotle to make a more “zingy” dressing for topping fish) but for now I leave it as is because the taste of the avocado really shines through.

*Exported from MasterCook *

Creamy Avocado Dressing

Recipe By: Vicci

Servings: 6

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic -- increase to 2 teaspoons for a real garlicky punch!

6 ounces avocado -- chopped (approximately an 8-ounce avocado minus pit and peel)

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

2 tablespoons (or more) skim milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper

In a blender or small food processor, process all of the ingredients until creamy. Taste and adjust for seasonings. Add more skim milk if a thinner texture is desired.

If not using immediately, this will keep, in a tightly-covered glass container, for 3 or 4 days. "Fruit Fresh" can be added (about 1/2 teaspoon) to prevent darkening.

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Per serving: 46 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat (1g saturated); (59% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Cholesterol; 106mg Sodium

Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates