Chacarero

Green beans on a sandwich? When my friend Laura first told me about Chacarero, I was a wee bit skeptical that it would taste good-in fact I think I wrinkled my nose and tried not to voice my disbelief. (I am not very good at hiding what I think...I may not always voice my opinions, but, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand worlds and my facial expressions make quite the picture).

Strangely enough, the end result of this sandwich is more than the sum of its parts (or something clever like that). The round bun is a traditional Chilean bread, I actually ate it daily during my visit to Chimbarongo, a small town outside of Santiago.

You can choose steak, chicken or both for your sandwich. Atop the meat is melted Muenster cheese, slices of tomato and green beans. The employees will warn you that their mojo sauce is very spicy, but don't let that scare you away, the cool avocado spread balances its heat.

Chacarero started out as an outside sandwich stand in Downtown Xing, but its immense popularity required a storefront, where lines run out the door and down the block during a busy lunch hour, but you rarely wait over ten minutes to get your food. Chacarero is a well-oiled machine, having perfected a handful of items and turning out a consistent product.

Chacarero is located at 101 Arch Street in Downtown Crossing, Boston.

Sandwiches are 7-8 dollars and enormous.

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

This is a salad in the same way one can eat chicken salad. My friend and coworker brought in a very similar Chilean avocado salad for lunch one day; this is my version of her dish. Not terribly full of roughage but still very pretty and healthy and tasty! Avocado are high in lutein and beta carotene (good for eye health, especially for all of us who stare at a computer screen for hours), and have "healthy fats." Shrimp are a protein powerhouse, high in omega-3s, low in fat and have "good" cholesterol (the kind that takes bad cholesterol from cells to the liver and out of the body) and (What more can you really ask for?). And let's face it, avocado and shrimp are two of my favorite foods at the moment.

Ingredients:
2 avocados, ripe but still firm to the touch
1/2 lb medium de-veined cooked shrimp, with heads & tails removed
1 lemon
1/4 cup cilantro
2 tablespoons mayo (okay, this is not good for you, but is a vital part of the yummy-ness)
Salt
Pepper

Wash avocados and slice in half vertically. Remove pits and peels from both avocados.

Wash cilantro and let dry. Mince cilantro and mix with mayo. Juice lemon and mix into mayo mixture (lazy woman's aioli).

Chop up shrimp into quarters. Mix shrimp into aioli.

Place avocado halves onto 4 plates, pit-side up. Scoop shrimp salad equally into avocado halves. Salt and pepper to taste.

This is a great summer alternative to a typical salad.