Tostadas with ham and avocado

Ham and avocado tostadas

Ingredients:

• 6 Slices Canadian bacon cut in ½ inch strips
• 2 Cups Shredded Iceberg lettuce
• ¾ Cup Mayonnaise
• ¼ Cup Plain yogurt
• 1 Clove Garlic finely chopped
• ½ 5 oz can Jalapeno peppers, drained and roughly chopped
• 1 Tbsp Cilantro leaves, chopped
• 2 Units Hass avocados cut in ½ inch dice
• 4 Unit Corn tostadas 6" diameter
• To taste Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro to make a dressing, correct seasoning and fold in the lettuce ham and avocado, being careful not to destroy the textures.
   
   
2. Just before serving pile high on the tostadas and garnish with additional cilantro. Adjust the jalapenos according to the degree of spiciness desired.

About Mary Pagan
Executive chef/ owner of the Culinary Center of Monterey
Mary Pagan, combining her extensive management background, ability as a chef and her love for teaching, has developed the Culinary Center of Monterey to share her love of the Culinary Arts with others.

Her concept ... to develop a food and wine resource complex. To provide the finest hands on culinary instruction to the general public, as well as experienced chefs and those interested in a career in the culinary field. She wanted to provide a first class International restaurant with great food at reasonable prices in a comfortable family atmosphere. To create a wine and microbrew bar featuring both local and International varieties and to provide a unique venue for parties, large and small, corporate or private. And last but not least, a state licensed and accredited vocational training center for those who are interested in a career in the culinary arts.

Mary has traveled extensively, doing personal appearances across the country, as well as television and radio shows in several states. Mary has also been featured in Newspapers and Magazines across the country including "Bon Appetit" that requested two of her prize- winning recipes for publication in their R.S.V.P. column.

Mary has done recipe development and food styling for large companies such as Uncle Bens, Tanimura & Antle, Desert Glory/Nature Sweet, Driscoll Berries, Ready Ripe, and Mills Family Farms, providing them with new and interesting selling tools for their businesses. One of the busiest undertakings at the CCM is Mary's Team Building Classes for Corporate groups. Many of these groups include Food Manufacturers, Drug companies and Wineries. The Culinary Center is also known for very unique and entertaining private parties that range from elegant gourmet food and wine events to beach parties and Chili cook-offs.

The Culinary Center has received their State of California License for a Culinary Certificate program. This will be a major resource to the many restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula seeking well-trained personnel in the food service industry. Along with this program the Culinary Center is also providing ServSafe Safety and Sanitation certificate classes to provide a local venue for the required food handlers certification required by the state. The Culinary Center has also been named a testing cite by The American Culinary Federation for certification of Executive Chefs.

Mary was given the honor of being nominated and inducted into the very prestigious Les Toques Blanches USA, and Le Dames of Escoffier. Mary is also a fellow with Monterey County Ag Knowledge.
Website: http://www.culinarycenterofmonterey.com

Event Information:

Tuesday, May 5th at 5:00 p.m. at the Culinary Center of Monterey
Lettuce Create At The Culinary Center of Monterey!

Enjoy a complimentary cooking class for children 6 and up!

Learn about iceberg, romaine, green leaf and red leaf lettuce.

Make your own salad creation, lettuce wrap and more.

May is National Salad Month - learn how to create the ultimate salad.

Children's creations will be served to their moms and dads after event.

Salad creation class will be 1 hour.

Parents will shop for lettuce in our Farmers Market. We will create a Farmers Market stand like last time but with all different varieties of lettuce only.

Parents will receive salad recipes from the Culinary Center of Monterey.

A Culinary Center student will be doing a demo for the parents on how to use produce to as serving bowls. How to create the ultimate salad display without serving bowls using lettuce leaves and other produce items. Parents will learn how to hollow out vegetables and use for serving dishes, etc.

In addition to the parents taking home bags of lettuce, we will create a mini-gardening kit for the children to go home and plant their own vegetable garden.

May is National Salad Month
National Salad Month is a holiday celebrated in the United States during the month of May. The Association for Dressings & Sauces (ADS) welcomes National Salad Month and encourages everyone to be creative when incorporating a salad into your healthy eating regimen. The Association for Dressings & Sauces launched National Salad Month in May of 1992, in response to a 1991 Gallup Poll that revealed that three out of four people eat a tossed salad at least every other day. According to polls, salads taste better with salad dressing.