Guacamole Salad

To me, avocados are one of the prettiest pieces of produce that nature has to offer. The colors are so bold, they look so nice sliced up and they taste amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't come up with the amazing dish on my own. I've adapted it from my favorite Food Network personality, Ina Garten. Her original recipe can be found here. I like to eat this plain, but it's great on chips too. If you're craving mexican food but don't want something greasy, this is a light, fresh tasting meal in itself that will likely curb your cravings.

This is great with grilled chicken, tortilla soup or tacos. The beans make it filling enough to be a main course in and of itself. If you love avocados and light, fresh meals you'll love this.

Guacamole Salad

Ingredients:

1 large tomato

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 of a red onion, diced

2 Hass avocados, diced

2 minced jalapenos, seeded

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 tsp. lime zest

2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (I prefer using a press for this)

Sea salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Method:

Mix beans, tomatoes, onion and jalapenos together. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the beans and veggies and stir to incorporate. Right before serving, slice the avocado and lightly salt before folding into the mixture.

The lime juice will prevent the avocados from oxidizing to quickly. I usually have some leftovers of this so I cut up one avocado the night I make it and a second one when I'm eating the leftovers. The flavor is even better after everything has been sitting in the fridge for a day or so. This is great over scrambled eggs, as a dip or by itself.