Grilled Avocado and Tomato Roll-Ups

Photo courtesy of SFweekly.com

Seeing as I will be embarking tomorrow on a weekend adventure to Pittsburgh to see a friend from college get married, I wanted to prepare a dinner that would use up some of my produce. I also wanted something a little lighter as I pretty much survived on the leftover Farfalle with Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe for the past couple of days.


My original plan was to make a regular sandwich -- stuff between two slices of bread. But I had another monumentally irritating experience with Time Warner Cable today that involved me leaving work early so I could sit in my apartment for four hours and having them show up to fix my cable modem issues... So a regular sandwich wasn't going to cut it.

Grilling the avocado after tossing it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar really deepened the flavor of the buttery fruit and created a smokiness that was enhanced by the hot sauce. Of course, with a recipe like this one, you could really add anything to the tortilla before rolling it up and it would be delicious, from grilled chicken or steak to black beans or roasted corn. The possibilities are endless!

Grilled Avocado and Tomato Roll-UpsPrintable Recipe
INGREDIENTS

• 2 8-inch flour tortillas
• 1/2 vine-ripe tomato, cut into 4 wedges
• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
• 1/2 avocado, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• Shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Warm the tortillas according to the package directions.
   
2. In a small bowl, toss the tomato wedges with the Sriracha hot sauce. Let marinate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
   
3. In another small bowl, combine the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add the avocado slices and toss gently with your fingers to coat.
   
4. Heat a grill-pan, preferably non-stick, over medium heat. Grill the avocado slices until browned and the sugars in the vinegar have begun to caramelize, about 1 minute per side.
   
5. To assemble, sprinkle cheddar cheese, to taste, on each tortilla. Divide the tomatoes and grilled avocado slices between the two tortillas. Roll the tortillas and enjoy!

Food Tip: This recipe calls for just half an avocado. If you're not planning on using the other half right away, want to store it, and are without lemon or lime juice, there is a very simple solution. Just keep the pit in the unused half wrap tightly with plastic wrap, pressing out as much air as possible. The acid in the pit will help prevent the avocado from browning too quickly. (A coworker shared this tip with me and it's worked every time!)

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