I take it back. I take it all back. I’m so sorry, Mr Avocado, for all the nasty things I said about you. You’re really not that bad after all.

That’s right, I did it. Remember when we had a talk about my dislike for avocadoes during a Q & A session some time back here? I’d promised to give avocadoes another chance, and after a long period of delaying, I finally did. And they won.

Okay, I didn’t have my avocadoes straight up. I still don’t like them plain, or even as guacamole. So I had to brainstorm a way to prepare them in a way I would enjoy. And of course, my mind started wandering off to cheese…

One of my favorite salads is California Cobb salad. With crispy bacon, stinky blue cheese, and eggs, what is there not to love? The only thing I didn’t like about it, however, was the avocadoes. I always picked them out. But this time, I going to recreate a spin on this salad that I could enjoy as a whole, avocadoes and all…by making it into PIZZA!

California Cobb Flatbread Pizza

Base: 1/2 cup whipped cottage cheese and 1/2 an avocado, mashed with fresh-ground black pepper on top of a whole-wheat flatbread
Toppings: turkey bacon, egg about 80% hard-boiled, grape tomatoes, crumbled goat cheese, and romaine lettuce

Here’s the delicious avocado-cottage cheese base:

I fried the bacon and boiled the egg before sprinkling them on top with the tomatoes and goat cheese. Then I popped the whole thing in a 375 degree oven until nice and toasted, and then garnished it with the fresh lettuce. The freak-alicious result:

How freaking gorgeous is that?

You’ve got to try this green base…It’s truly the best! Very creamy and buttery, but not bland at all as avocadoes can be…

I did not completely hard-boil the egg because I wanted the yolk to remain sort of creamy and moist, instead of dry and crumbly. It was perfect!

And I finally splurged on a tub of crumbled goat cheese…And boy is it worth every single penny! I used it cautiously with the hefty price in mind, just about a small handful, but the amount turned out just right. A little goes a long way with a strong cheese like goat cheese!

How can you compare this to a miserable bowl of salad? It’s flat, it’s groovy, it’s creative, it’s baked warm and crispy, and it’s a pizza!
 
Mama mia! My eyelids were fluttering with ecstasy as I dived into this, and my brother looked on jealously as he gnawed on his BBQ ribs. Poor guy. Perhaps if he’s nice to me and will clean up once in a while, I shall make him one, too.

I also baked mango bread today! I had a bunch of mangoes to use up, and I’d been seeing these delicious pictures of mango bread all around the blogging world, so I decided to try one for myself!

I tweaked with the recipe quite a lot though, so here’s my version of it:

Mango Bread
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons milled flax seed
• 1/4 cup oats
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups chopped mangoes
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a pan by greasing and flouring it. I used a 9×9 baking pan.
2. Sieve the flour, spices and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Add in the sugar and salt, and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, orange juice, oil, eggs, zest, and vanilla.
4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently till flour is incorporated into the batter.
5. Gently fol
d in the mangoes and walnuts.
6. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 55mins or till a tooth pick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

I couldn’t restrain myself, and had a huge chunk as soon as it was done baking in the oven.

It was yummy, even with the alterations! Very fragrant and soooo moist. The only complaint I have is that I wish the mango flavor would be more pronounced. Next time, instead of the orange juice, I’ll use pureed mangoes.

Now, since today’s topic is about second chances, let me just share a quick story…

Back before my ED days, there was this one guy in my church whom I just could not stand at all. He was annoying…annoying to the point that you would rather listen to fingernails scratching against the chalkboard than be next to him. He loved to talk, and unfortunately his favorite subject was: himself. “Me, me, me, blah blah blah.” The only time he didn’t talk about himself was when he was bragging about the new girlfriend he had, which was even more irritating. He switched girlfriends so often each time I saw him he was talking about his new “gal”: “Oh yeah, my gal is so hot, yahdee yada yada.” Nobody liked him, and he was always alone, which only made him seek out company even harder in a pathetic way.

Now, other people sort of tolerated him. They listened to him, tuning out and nodding at the right moments. As for me…I was just not that patient and kind. I have a quick temper, and was pretty harsh and insensitive with my words. Each time he opened his mouth I would cut him off with a curt, “Shut the hell up. I don’t care.”

But then…I developed anorexia. And suddenly everything I was proud of…my brains, my beauty, my social life…they were all stripped away. I had nothing to boast about, and my confidence level was zero. And one day, as I lay in bed crying and feeling sorry for myself, I suddenly remembered that guy from church. And at that moment, I could understand him. I understood his loneliness, I realized that his constant bragging and lying was really out from his own lack of self-confidence and self-esteem, and I felt his desire and need to search for company while at the same time having no social skills.

Since then, I’ve started talking to him more, and being more patient with him. I listened to his talk, though most of it is still bullshit. I smiled at him, praised him from time to time, pretended to be interested in his new dating adventures.

And now, I can truly and honestly say he’s a friend. Surprisingly, he turned out to be a pretty good and caring friend. When some of my friends distanced themselves from me while I was sick from ED, he sent me “get well” wishes and constantly told me to ask if I needed anything.

I’m really glad I gave him a second chance. And I’m so thankful he gave me another chance, too.

Question of the day: Is there any person whom you used to dislike or avoid, who turned out to be a pretty good person once you gave him/her another chance? Or any other stories to share regarding giving second chances? Please share!

Related posts:

1. No Longer Me, Myself, and I
2. How Calbi BBQ Got Its Ass Kimchi-ed
3. It’s Worth the Grill
4. The Supporter
5. Opening up to new worlds

Tagged as: avocado, bacon, cheese, eggs, pizza, tomato