Avocado Chévre Spread

Spreads, tapenades and sauces can turn a good dish into something extraordinary, and many take only a few minutes to make. This avocado-chévre spread is wonderful on salmon or serve it on crostini with some fresh black pepper.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium avocados, scooped out

• 5 oz of soft goat cheese (chévre)

• 2 tsp lemon zest

• 4 or 5 tsp fresh lemon juice

• 1 finely minced garlic clove

• 1/4 tsp salt

Toss it all in the food processor and blend until smooth. Season with black or white pepper to taste.

Some tips on cooking salmon:

• Look for a filet that is of a consistent thickness throughout.

• Heat your pan to med-high with just a touch of olive oil.

• Turn your filet skin-side up on a cutting board and, with a sharp knife, make 1/2 " slits in the skin spaced at about 1" apart so heat can permeate evenly. Rub salt and pepper into the cuts; insert lemon wedges into some of the slits as well.

• Place the filet in the pan skin-side down for exactly 4 minutes. Monitor the color of the fish from the short edge. When the color has lightened about 3/4 of the way through the filet, flip it. Cook on the second side for 2 minutes. Don't keep flipping back and forth. It may seem as if it will burn, but it won’t. Be brave and patient.

Serve your perfect fish with this fantastic avocado-chévre spread and have a delicious  and healthy dinner in about 15 minutes. Enjoy!