Eat The Bowl

I spent the weekend in the Florida Keys after an amazing race experience with the Ragnar Relay Race series. And believe me - after 27 hours in a van without beds or showers, running 14 miles throughout that time and eventually making my way 199 miles from Miami to Key West with 11 teammates, I was ready to enjoy food and beverages in Key West!

Chuck, my better half, flew down to meet me after the race, and after settling in to the hotel and freshening up, we ventured to the sushi restaurant across the street, Ambrosia.

We definitely enjoyed our meal there - avocado and hot house cucumber salad with Miso mustard dressing, a variety of sushi and chicken katsu. One star of the meal: spicy tuna fritters.


Spicy tuna fritters nestled in a rice noodle bowl with soy sauce

The fritters were served in a rice noodle bowl which had been flash fried. When the server pointed out the bowl was edible, this inspired me to share ideas for serving foods in edible or food-sourced vessels.

AVOCADOS
I don't recommend eating avocado skins, but they hold their shape nicely as servingware. Use them for a healthy & fresh Avocado & Crab salad (diced avocados, lump crab meat, red onion, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil) or as bowls for my favorite guacamole recipe.

GUAC THAT ROCKS

• 3 avocados
• 1 small red onion
• One small bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 roma tomatoe
• 1 clove of garlic (or 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic from a jar)
• Fresh juice from 1 lime (no green plastic limes allowed here)
• sea salt & fresh black pepper to taste
• hot sauce to taste (recommended: Cholula)

1. Cut the avocados in half around the hard pit, then twist until the two halves come apart. Tap the pit with your knife to carefully remove. Gently run your knife around the inside edge. Scoop out the green flesh with a spoon and mash in a bowl to your liking: mash more for smoother guacamole or less for a chunkier texture.
   *KEEP the avocado skins (if you plan to use them for serving) and one avocado pit (if you are not serving the guac immediately).
2. Dice the following: 1/4 cup of the red onion, 1/4 cup of the fresh cilantro, both tomatoes and the garlic clove (after removing the skin).
3. Mash together the avocado and lime juice. Next, stir in the onion, cilantro, tomatoes and garlic.
4. Add salt & pepper to taste. For a kick, add a few drops of Mexican hot sauce, a pinch of cayenne pepper or any other "heat" you have available.

Drop one avocado pit in the bowl on top of the guac and cover tightly with plastic wrap, gently pressing the wrap directly onto the surface of the guac. This keeps air out and slows the oxidation process, which is why it browns. Refrigerate until scooping into the avocado skins and serving.

Or, use Tostitos Scoops! for a fun, bite-sized chip & guac combo.

PEPPERS
Garden variety peppers hold their shape extremely well for dips, stuffings and more.


Stuffed peppers, anyone?
Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart Living



Green, red, yellow, orange...choose your favorite pepper as a dip holder.
Photo courtesy of Peppermint Plum

So the next time you're making dinner or a snack, before you toss out what appears to be a by-product of your efforts, see how you can incorporate it into the presentation.