Have you ever known a kid with what seems like a weird food fascination? We all expect kids to be fans of strawberries and potato chips and chocolate chips, but how about the kid who thinks green onions are the best or insists on kale in everything whenever it's in season? My daughter loves a lot of different kinds of food — which comes as no surprise to anyone who's spent a bit of time at my table - but she adores avocados. At first, I thought it was just a love for guacamole. After all, it has lovely flavor and texture and you serve it with salty chips. But if I split an avocado and hand her a spoon, she'll just eat the entire thing! So this recipe is for her.
The filling is a simple fajita-inspired filling using leftover cooked chicken or turkey (I used turkey because that's what I had on hand) and a bit less liquid than you'd normally include in a fajita filling since it will stay in place in the avocados a bit better if it's a touch more dry than what you'd serve with flour tortillas. Just a bit of cheese does the trick of gluing it together as it melts, but don't overdo it with the cheese. These avocados bring a lot of flavor (read: fat) to the table, so a little cheese is all you want! Just a bit of time in the oven melts the cheese and transforms the avocado into a soft, creamy foundation for the other fillings.
Serve these fun avocado boats with fresh sliced melon and lots of tortilla chips to help scoop out every bit of avocado from their shells. Or, if you're like my daughter, just grab a spoon and dig in! It's a great summer meal for everyone.
Fajita Stuffed Avocados
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 c. coarsely chopped onion
- 1 c. chopped yellow pepper
- 4 oz. quartered grape tomatoes
- 2 c. diced cooked chicken or turkey
- 2 tsp. taco or fajita or southwestern seasoning
- 6 avocados, halved
- 6 oz. shredded pepperjack cheese
Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and pepper until softened and a little browned. Add the grape tomatoes, cooked chicken or turkey, and desired seasoning; cook until the tomatoes have nearly turned into sauce and the poultry is heated through.
Spoon the hot filling into each of the center of the halved avocados, heaping it slightly. Set each avocado half into a muffin tin. Sprinkle each avocado half with the shredded cheese.
Bake the avocados in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot.
- Yields: 4-6 servings (serving size = 2-3 avocado halves)
- Preparation Time: 30 minutes