For today’s recipe, I am sharing with you what I am making for dinner tonight! This is a Florida twist on my favorite classic sandwich – the BLT.

Crispy Peppered Bacon and Avocado Sandwiches with Herbed Mayo

Yield 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 6 peppered bacon slices
• 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons fresh garlic chives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh Florida dill, chopped
• 1 firm-ripe Florida avocado (8 to 10 oz)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 4 slices whole-grain bread, toasted
• 1/2 cup Florida sprouts

Preparation

Stir together mayonnaise, garlic chives, dill and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.

Cook peppered bacon in a 12-inch heavy bottom skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crispy, then transfer to paper towels and allow to drain.

Halve, pit, and peel Florida avocado, then slice lengthwise onto a plate. Squeeze lemon juice over avocado slices to prevent browning. Assemble sandwiches with toast, herb mayonnaise, avocado, peppered bacon, and sprouts, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Florida Mahi with Papaya Coconut Curry

Ingredients

• 4 6-ounce Florida mahi-mahi fillets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

Season mahi fillets with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large sauté pan on medium-high; add fillets and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Serve with Florida Papaya Coconut Curry Sauce.

Yield

4 servings

Florida Papaya Coconut Curry

Ingredients

• 2 ripe Florida papayas, cubed
• 1/2 cup mirin rice wine
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
• sea salt to taste
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Place papaya cubes, mirin rice wine, white wine, ginger and tumeric in heavy medium-size saucepan. Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup. Add cream and coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer sauce until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in curry paste. Season the sauce to taste with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Reserve papaya cubes for garnish and strain remaining sauce through a fine mesh sieve. Set aside. Note: sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated.

Yield

8 servings

Albertson’s

• Cilantro bunches 10/$10
• Cucumbers 2/$3
• Eggplant 2/$3
• Green Bell Peppers 10/$10
• Parsley bunches 10/$10
• Seedless Watermelons-sliced $0.69/lb
• Sweet Corn Yellow, White or Bi-Color 3 pack 2/$3
• Tomatoes 10/$10
• Yellow Squash 10/$10
• Zucchini 10/$10

Bravo

• Cucumbers 3/$1 (4/$1 in select locations)
• Eggplant $0.99/lb
• Oranges $1.99/4 lb bag (select locations only)
• Sweet Corn Yellow 5/$2 (4/$1 in select locations)
• Tomatoes $0.69/lb

Harvey’s

• Athena Cantaloupes 2/$5
• Cucumbers 2/$1
• Grape Tomatoes 2/$5
• Green Boiling Peanuts $1.99/lb
• Sweet Corn Yellow or White 10/$2.99
• Tomatoes $1.49/lb
• Watermelons $5.99 each
• Yellow Squash $1.29/lb
• Zucchini $1.29/lb

 Hitchcock’s

• Oranges $2.99/4 lb bag

 Publix

• Athena Cantaloupes 2/$5
• Sweet Corn Yellow, White, or Bi-Color 10/$3
• Seedless Watermelon $4.99 each
• Red Potatoes $2.99/5 lb bag
• Vine-Ripened Tomatoes $1.49/lb

 Sedano’s (Orlando stores only)

• Eggplant $0.69
• Oranges $1.99/4 lb bag
• Tomatoes $0.49/lb

Sweetbay

• Athena Melons 2/$5
• Tomatoes $1.19/lb
• Yellow Squash $1.29/lb
• Zucchini $1.29/lb

Whole Foods

• Heirloom Tomatoes $3.99/lb

Firecracker Salad

Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Florida honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 cups fresh Florida corn kernels (from 4 ears)
• 6 medium Florida radishes, halved and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup fresh Florida flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

Preparation

To make the dressing, purée the lime juice, jalapeño, honey and cumin in a blender. With the machine on, add the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. In a large bowl, toss the corn with the radishes, parsley, red onion and dressing. Season the salad with salt and pepper, transfer to plates and serve.

Nutritional Information:

One serving contains the following: Calories 231; Total Fat 14g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 126mg; Total Carbohydrates 28g; Protein 4g. Cholesterol Free, High in Vitamin C.

The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival is a treat for those who love flowers, gardens and landscaping trends. We are proud to participate in this event every year, and this year we were joined by 16 “Fresh From Florida” members. We’ll be spotlighting each of those in the next few months, so keep on the lookout for blog updates and see how Florida producers get to participate in this popular festival.

Our display greeted guests as they entered the Festival Center and we were on hand to distribute seeds and brochures. Being able to interact with people who love gardening and learning about Florida plants,  produce, tropical fish, honey, sod, and peanuts made the weekend extra fun.

We had a chance to view some of the gardens within Epcot as well. Two favorites were the Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden and Bambi’s Butterfly House.

Lots of beauty and color in the butterfly garden.

The last day for this year’s festival is May 20, so if you’re in the area, stop by and tour the beautiful gardens and landscapes.

Baked Cabbage Egg Rolls

Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Florida cabbage, shredded
• 2 mediumFloridacarrots, peeled and shredded
• 2 cupsFloridamushrooms, diced
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1 teaspoon dried
• 12 egg roll wrappers
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch (divided)
• 1/2 cup water (divided)
• 1 cup water chestnuts, chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• Your favorite dipping sauce

Preparation

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Mix 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch into 1/4 cup water and set aside. Lightly spray large sauté pan with cooking spray and warm over low heat. Add cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts and ginger to the sauté pan. Cook for five to seven minutes or just until vegetables start to get slightly tender. Stir in cornstarch mixture and soy sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens. Let vegetable mixture completely cool and add green onions. Dissolve the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup water. Brush onto egg roll wrappers and fill with vegetables and wrap according to the directions on the egg roll package. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until brown. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Mucho Mango Bread Pudding

Yield 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 6 slices of your favorite bread or pound cake, torn into small pieces
• 2 Florida mangoes, peeled, seeded and diced into medium-sized pieces
• ¼ cup natural sugar
• 3 Florida eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons natural vanilla extract
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons butter

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 9×11-inch glass baking dish.

Toss together the pieces of bread and mango; pour into buttered baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, eggs, milk, vanilla and cardamom. Pour over the bread and mango mixture. Place small dollops of butter on top of the pudding (approximately ¼ stick of butter total.)

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until slightly puffed and golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream and fresh, sliced mangoes.  Drizzle Rum Sauce over the top.

Nutritional Information for Pudding without toppings:

One serving contains the following: Calories 194; Total Fat 7g; Cholesterol 92mg; Sodium 198mg; Total Carbohydrates 28g; Protein 7g. Good source of Vitamin A.

Rum Sauce for Bread Pudding

Yield 8 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ cup natural Florida sugar
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 3 tablespoons rum

Preparation

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch; stir into the melted butter. Slowly pour in milk, stirring frequently until the mixture begins to lightly boil. Continue cooking until thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information:

One serving contains the following: Calories 95; Total Fat 3g; Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 47mg; Protein 1g; Total Carbohydrates 15g.

Give up? They were both FFA members during their school years. Taylor Swift is from Hendersonville, Tennessee and Jimmy Carter is from where else but Plains, Georgia. It’s not surprising seeing as how the FFA organization remains committed to the individual student by providing many leadership opportunities that allow students to become comfortable in a public arena.

FFA has traditionally been an agriculture education organization… and it is still that but it is also so much more! In Florida, FFA reaches over 15,000 middle and high school students through 300+ chapters. And they stay busy! Nearly 50 leadership and career development events each year help them hone their skills. So today’s FFA chapters are grooming our state’s future farmers and providing career paths for future biologists, future chemists, future veterinarians, and many other related fields.

If you would like to know more, the Florida FFA Association will be hosting its 84th Annual State FFA Convention on June 25-29 at the Caribe Royale Orlando. The theme “For the Future” will commemorate over 80 years of Florida FFA history. For more information, please visit the Florida FFA Association website at www.flaffa.org.

Corn and Tomato Bisque

Yield 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 large jalapeño, cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, Spanish style or white
• 1/2 teaspoon Florida sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound fresh Florida sweet corn kernels
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 4 fresh Florida plum tomatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons low fat sour cream (plus extra for garnish)

Preparation

In a small mixing bowl, combine the jalapeño with the vinegar and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium high heat, until lightly browned. Add the corn and garlic, cook while stirring until the corn is lightly browned. Add the vegetable broth and simmer until the corn is tender, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

Transfer 1/2 of the cooked corn and broth mixture to a blender, add the sour cream and puree until smooth. Return the puree to the rest of the soup mixture.

Add the tomatoes, scallion and 1 tablespoon of cilantro to the soup and cook on low until heated through. Serve soup hot and garnish with cilantro, sour cream and a drizzle of vinegar on top.