Restaurants & Bars
Avocado-Lover Alert: San Diego Chef Shares 2 Tasty Recipes
The beloved avocado shines at Little Italy Food Hall and in these dishes from Not Not Tacos for California Avocado Month in June.
SAN DIEGO, CA – The California Avocado Commission is partnering with the Little Italy Food Hall in San Diego for a restaurant takeover as each eatery will feature a unique avocado dish, available during June – recognized as "California Avocado Month."
The Little Italy Food Hall, located at Piazza della Famiglia, is growing in popularity and enlisted the well-known culinary talents of restaurateur Sam Zien to help you celebrate the green, "healthy-fat" fruit. Chef "Sam the Cooking Guy" of Not Not Tacos, developed two recipes – shared with Patch! – that authentically capture southern California cuisine.
The restaurants participating in California Avocado Month Takeover at Little Italy Food Hall:
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- Ambrogio15: Pizza Avocado Alla Mediterranea
- Roast Meat and Sandwich Shop: Roasted Salmon & California Avocado Bowl
- Mein St. Asian Kitchen: Seasoned Sushi Rice Bowl with California Avocado-Cilantro Sauce
- Bobboi Natural Gelato: California Avolicious Gelato with Green Apple, Carrot Juice and Ginger
- Little Italy Food Hall Bar: California Avocado Margarita
- Not Not Tacos:
- Pearl Couscous with California Avocado and Crispy Tofu
- California Avocado and Crab Flatbread with Garlic Aioli
The Little Italy Food Hall is situated in the heart of San Diego's Little Italy neighborhood, with food stations and a full bar. Read more here on Little Italy Food Hall.
And now, courtesy of Chef Sam and Not Not Tacos, the recipes ...
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PEARL COUSCOUS WITH CALIFORNIA AVOCADO AND CRISPY TOFU
Recipe created by Sam Zien of Not Not Tacos for the California Avocado Commission
- Serves: 4
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 60 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. extra firm tofu
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 3 large shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. sriracha
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
- 1/3 cup diced tomato
- 3 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
- 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, or to taste
- 2 ripe, Fresh California Avocados, seeded, peeled and diced
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Drain the tofu by removing from the package, lay flat and slice in half horizontally. Place the slices in a single layer of 3-4 sheets of paper towels. Top tofu with additional paper towels and a heavy object (i.e. cast-iron pan) and let sit 15 minutes.
- Uncover the tofu, cut into small cubes and place into a large mixing bowl.
- Add about 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil and season with salt and chili powder.
- Heat a large oven-safe pan over medium heat and add the seasoned tofu cubes.
- Place the pan over medium heat, and cook, shaking the pan occasionally until tofu begins to brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and cook tofu for 20-25 minutes or until crispy, remove and set aside
- Alternatively, after seasoning the tofu cubes you can place them in a single layer in an air fryer and cook at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes.
- While the tofu bakes, bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan and add couscous and shiitake mushrooms; stir then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed, about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat, put in a large bowl and allow to cool.
- Combine lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, sriracha and remaining olive oil in a small bowl and mix until sugar dissolves. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Once cooled, add radishes, red onion, green onion, tomato, cilantro and sea salt.
- Dress the couscous mixture evenly then spoon on plates, adding the crispy tofu and diced avocado.
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CALIFORNIA AVOCADO AND CRAB FLATBREAD WITH GARLIC AIOLI
Recipe created by Sam Zien of Not Not Tacos for the California Avocado Commission
- Serves: 8
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 Tbsp. garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 Tbsp. avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 4 medium store-bought flatbreads
- 8 oz. crab meat
- 2 ripe, Fresh California Avocados, seeded, peeled and diced
- 6 Tbsp. shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 red chili, sliced thinly
- 1 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. micro cilantro or fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions:
- To make the aioli, combine mayonnaise, garlic, oil, lemon juice, parsley and salt. Mix well to combine, cover and chill.
- In the meantime, heat oven to 350 degrees F to warm flatbreads for 5 minutes. Remove flatbreads from oven, set aside and turn oven to broil.
- Spread the chilled aioli on the flatbreads then top with crab, avocado, cheese and red chile slices evenly on each flatbread.
- Place the flatbreads on a baking sheet under the broiler until the cheese begins to melt and becomes golden, about 5-8 minutes.
- Remove from oven, top with ground pepper and micro cilantro.
**Large avocados are recommended for these recipes. A large avocado averages about 8 ounces. If using smaller or larger size avocados adjust the quantity accordingly.
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IN OTHER RECIPES FROM THE PATCH FILES:
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