Avocado, Orange and Jicama Salad – Best Blogger Salad Contest Winner |Cooking With Amanda

Yesterday we announced the Reader's Choice winner in our Best Salad Recipes Ever contest. Today, we are excited to reveal the Editor's Choice!

Our judges selected this unique "Avocado, Mandarin Orange and Jicama Salad with Key Lime Dressing" as the winner of $1,000 and an upcoming 1-page spread in a magazine. She is also now in the running for the grand prize – a trip to the BHG headquarters and a tour of the test kitchens! Congratulations to Cheryl Lee from Black Girl Chef's Whites! (Check out that awesome badge on her homepage!)

Do YOU want fame and fortune from your recipes? Check out our latest contest and enter ASAP! Deadline is February 28th. http://ift.tt/1jbc1hB

Keep reading…

What made you decide to enter the BetterRecipes.com "Best Blogger Ever" contest?

I'm a big fan of Better Recipes, and decided to enter one of my favorite salad recipes. If I loved it, maybe others would too!

How did you come up with your winning recipe?

As with most of my recipes, a single ingredient can inspire me to make a recipe. In this case it was finding bags of inexpensive key limes. I also had a lot of really good ripe California avocados in my refrigerator. From there a recipe was born.

It can be quite embarrassing to grocery shop with me, as I tend to stop in the aisles and stare off into space as I develop the flavors for recipes in my head!

Do you have any recipe development or photography tips to share with our readers?

When developing recipes taste, taste and taste. They only way to tweak the flavor is to know the flavor. As for photography, its all about the light.

Have you seen an increase in traffic to your blog or this recipe since your win?

Better Recipes sends a nice amount of traffic to my blog, and I am very grateful!

Would you encourage other bloggers to enter recipe contests?

Yes! You already have the recipe and photography done most of the time, so why not share it with a new audience? And you might win!

When did you start the blog?

I started Black Girl Chef's Whites in 2009.

Why did you start writing a food blog? What motivates you to write and create new recipes for your audience?

I had left my job after having my daughter in 2007 to spend time with her. I was trying to get a personal chef business off the ground, and decided to keep my recipe developing skills in practice by starting a food blog. I remember thinking at the time "I should start a food blog. Everybody and their grandmother has one! Why can't I?" Recipe developing is my favorite part of the culinary world, being able to experiment with flavors and textures. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't!

Do you focus on a particular angle or subject matter?

No, I tend to do different types of recipes, depending on what is in the market, what is in season or what I may be craving. New recipe = dinner!

Do you have any tips for readers interested in starting their own blog?

Don't start a food blog for money and fame! Do it because you enjoy cooking and want to share your recipes and passion for them with others. And if you want to join a group of some of the most supportive and giving people, then become a food blogger.

Blog: http://ift.tt/1eEVbzX