Avocado Cilantro Pasta

I had several ripe organic avocados that would've been perfect for guacamole but I wasn't in the mood for guac. Weird, because I love guac. Instead of making yummy guac, I poked around for a new avocado recipe and found one for dressing. A dressing for salad or used as a sauce for pasta. Versatile sauce. Good stuff.

The original recipe calls for white balsamic vinegar but I only have traditional balsamic vinegar so I used that instead. Unfortunately, it made my lovely, light green dressing turn dark and muddy looking. The dressing was also on the balsamic-y side but I didn't mind the strong taste. My kids eat everything but I guess vinegar's not their fave as they only ate a few bites of the pasta. :) For my second batch of dressing, I used 2 tbs white wine vinegar because my local store didn't have white balsamic vinegar. The dressing was still pretty vinegary. I'll have to try it with just one type of vinegar and see how it tastes. I served the dressing on Mother's Day and the fam liked it. I like honest feedback so they would've told me if it was horrible. I still want to work on the recipe and tweak the taste just a bit. If you have a suggestion, please send it my way. Thanks! :)

Dark but delicious.

Yummm.

Avocado Cilantro Pasta with Shrimp

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb angel hair pasta
• 8-10 sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
• 1 lb shrimp (chicken, veggies or tofu would be great, too)
• avocado cilantro sauce (see below)
• cilantro, chopped 

Directions:

1. Make avocado cilantro sauce (recipe below)
2. Marinate shrimp about 30 mins in the sauce. Add enough sauce to coat the shrimp.
3. Prepare pasta, drain, place back in pot and add sundried tomatoes. Keep covered till ready for shrimp.
4. Heat large pan over med-high heat. Add shrimp and the sauce and cook approx. 3 mins stirring frequently. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp.
5. Two ways to serve:  1.) Toss pasta in avocado sauce, place in serving bowl and top with shrimp before serving. 2.) Place pasta directly in serving bowl (no extra sauce), top with shrimp and serve. I preferred the plain pasta with the avocado cilantro shrimp. :) Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Avocado Cilantro 
Dressing/Sauce

Yield: 1 c

Ingredients:

dressing/sauce:

• 3 small avocados
• 1 c cilantro, chopped
• 1 lemon, juice
• 1 lime, juice
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbs red wine vinegar
• I've tried 1/8 c balsamic vinegar as well as 2 tbs white wine vinegar.  

Directions:

1. Scoop out flesh of avocados and place in food processor.
2. Add remaining ingredients and process until smooth consistency is reached. 
3. Do a taste test. Add more oil, juices or vinegar to taste and to thin out the dressing if needed.
4. Keep in fridge. Enjoy as salad dressing, pasta sauce or marinade. 

Source: Adapted from Guilty Kitchen