Citrus Chips with Smashed Avocado

After weeks of binging on chips and dip - time to give your habit a healthy kick. 

Citrus Chips with Smashed Avocado

Citrus Chips

• 2 medium organic navel oranges, washed and scrubbed
• 1 medium organic lemon, washed and scrubbed
• 1 medium organic lime, washed and scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• Several sprigs fresh thyme

Heat oven to 425.  Slice citrus into rounds - work with a sharp knife to produce rounds as paper-thin as possible.  Reserve any mangled slices for Smashed Avocado (recipe below).  Brush baking sheet with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.  Arrange citrus rounds on prepared pan - creating a single layer with little to no overlap.  Drizzle citrus with remaining olive oil.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt, several cracks of black pepper and fresh thyme.  Set in oven and roast until edges start to turn a dark golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 200 and gently roast until citrus flesh is completely crisp, about another 45 minutes.  Keep an eye on things as oven temperatures can regulate at different speeds.  Remove from oven and let cool before serving. 

Smashed Avocado

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
• 1/2 clove garlic, minced to a paste
• Citrus juice and scraps from above - rind finely chopped 
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon zaatar spice 
• 4 ripe avocados
• Sea salt
• Ground black pepper
• large handful fresh cilantro, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped

Combine coriander, garlic, citrus juice and scraps, olive oil and zaatar spice in a bowl.  Let stand about 15 minutes.  Peel and pit avocados and cut into large pieces and add
to bowl.  Season well with salt and pepper and use a butter knife to smash avocado into a chunky mash.  Stir in cilantro and serve. 

Roast Chestnuts in Vanilla Bean Syrup

It is a chestnut kind of year!

Roast Chestnuts in Vanilla Bean Syrup

• 1 pound chestnuts
• 11/2 cups sugar, plus more for rolling if desired
• 11/2 cups water
• 1 vanilla bean, split

Use a sharp knife to score skin of each chestnut.  Heat oven to 375.  Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil.  Add chestnuts and simmer about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, drain and transfer chestnuts to a roasting pan.  Place in hot oven and roast about 25 minutes.  Meanwhile combine sugar and water in a saucepan.  Stir just to dissolve sugar.  Set over high heat and bring to a boil.  Add vanilla bean, scraping beans from pod.  Reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  

Remove chestnuts from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.  Peel nuts.  Transfer sugar syrup to a heat proof jar or storage container.  Add chestnuts and let stand until cool.  Refrigerate at least one week before serving.  Chestnuts are delicious over ice cream or rolled in sugar and eaten as a truffle.