20+ Awesome Avocado Recipes

San Diego summer. June gloom. The locals complain. The transplants love it. Pre-deployment workups have been ramping up. Ryan was gone Wednesday through Friday for a field exercise.

Caleb, 8, wants to be a firefighter still. Has not deviated. Hazel, 5, opinions about everything. Has Donna's directness without the diplomacy.

BBQ chicken on the grill. Ryan handled it. He grills, I do everything else.

Mom called Sunday. We talked while she was putting up tomatoes from the garden. She is sixty-something and gardening like she is forty.

Donna would say: dinner at 1800, no exceptions. We did 1800.

Donna sent a recipe card in the mail this week. She has been doing this for years. The recipes go in the binder. The binder is full. The newest one is for a green bean casserole that uses fresh green beans and fried shallots and which I will absolutely make for the next holiday.

I made a casserole for a neighbor whose husband is deployed. I dropped it off. She cried. I told her, eat the casserole, baby. The food is the saying. The casserole was a mostly-frozen tater-tot situation that took fifteen minutes of effort and six months of practice to perfect.

The kitchen counter has a chip in it from someone before us. Some military housing thing. I have stopped asking what. The chip is fine. The whole kitchen is provisional. We are renting from Uncle Sam.

I read the blog comments at the kitchen table with my coffee. A young spouse in Lejeune emailed me about deployment cooking. I wrote her back at length. I told her about the freezer. I told her about Donna. I told her she would survive. I sent her three of Donna's recipes.

The military spouses' Facebook group had a small drama this week. Two women fighting over the playgroup schedule. I muted notifications and cooked dinner. Some weeks the group is the lifeline. Some weeks it is the source of unnecessary stress. The skill is knowing which week you're in.

Wednesday morning meal prep — Sunday afternoon, hours of containers. The freezer is full. The future-me thanks present-me. Donna taught me this routine. Donna's freezer was always full. Donna saved her sanity with quart bags labeled in Sharpie.

Reading another military memoir at night. They make Ryan tense. They steady me. We negotiate. He doesn't ask what I'm reading. I don't tell him. The arrangement works.

The PCS rumors are starting again. The official orders will come in a few months. We could move. We could stay. The waiting is the worst part. Three years here and I have learned to not put down deep roots in any military town. Nineteen-year-old me would not have believed how good I have gotten at packing.

Ryan went to his counselor Wednesday. He always comes home calmer. I am calm too, just from him being calm. The man Torres was killed with — Ryan calls his wife twice a year on Torres's birthday and the anniversary. The military widows are their own community.

Ryan came home tired Wednesday. He showered, ate, sat on the couch, was asleep by eight. Standard for a Marine who has been up since four-thirty for PT and stayed late for a brief. The schedule is the schedule. The body adapts because it has to.

Caleb watched the firefighters at a school visit Wednesday and came home buzzing. He is going to be one. I have known this since he was four. Some kids tell you who they are early.

The kids' soccer game was Saturday morning. The other parents brought oranges and Capri Suns. I brought a thermos of coffee for myself and a folding chair I bought at Target three years ago that has been to four duty stations now. The chair is a more loyal companion than some of my friends.

Ryan grills the chicken, and I do everything else — that’s just how it works at our house, and honestly, I’ve made my peace with it. My “everything else” is where the meal actually comes together, and in San Diego, that almost always means avocado. It’s June, the trees practically hand them to you, and there’s something deeply satisfying about building a side dish so good it makes a simple BBQ night feel intentional. These are the avocado recipes I keep cycling back to — the ones that come together fast, hold up for the kids, and make a provisional kitchen feel like home.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 10 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Prep the avocado. Halve, pit, and dice the avocados into roughly 3/4-inch chunks. Place in a large bowl and immediately drizzle with lime juice to prevent browning.
Add the vegetables. Add the cherry tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and jalapeño (if using) to the bowl with the avocado.
Season. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle in the cumin, salt, and pepper. Add the chopped cilantro.
Fold gently. Using a large spoon, fold everything together carefully so the avocado stays in chunks rather than turning into a mash. Taste and adjust salt and lime as needed.
Rest and serve. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving so the flavors come together. Serve alongside grilled BBQ chicken, or with tortilla chips for the kids while dinner finishes on the grill.

Nutrition (per serving)

20+ Awesome Avocado Recipes — The Perfect Side for Ryan’s Grill Nights