This will be the last of my avocado series, because if this continues I will never want to eat another avocado in my life. I wanted to finish off with my favorite way to eat avocados; in salads. I was watching the Dr. Oz Show the other day (yes, on occasion Dr. Oz will get some viewing time at my house) and they were touting the nutritional benefits of kiwifruit. Those little fuzzy fruits are not normally on my grocery list, but after hearing that they taste great thrown into a salad, I decided to pick up a few. I had fun making up this fresh salad, with lots of different flavors all mingling together.
The day I decided to make this salad, I was a little displaced from my kitchen. My husband was making a large pot of sauce, so I decided to sit in a sunny, peaceful and not-so-quiet spot in our dinning room. Not-so-quite because our boys love to race their cars around the hard floors and play underfoot when I am doing something particularly interesting. Direct sunlight makes food and plants look so appealing to the eye, but yet it is not the best for taking good pictures I've learned. On occasion I would like to disagree with this because personally, I find something very interesting about shadows.
Have you ever held something like a citrus or kiwi slice up into the sunlight? Whenever I do I revert back to my 6 year old self, when I would find delight in the sunlight illuminating through a slice of fruit. As I find myself now deeply rooted in adulthood, I appreciate those precious moments when you can revisit childhood memories.
The day I decided to make this salad, I was a little displaced from my kitchen. My husband was making a large pot of sauce, so I decided to sit in a sunny, peaceful and not-so-quiet spot in our dinning room. Not-so-quite because our boys love to race their cars around the hard floors and play underfoot when I am doing something particularly interesting. Direct sunlight makes food and plants look so appealing to the eye, but yet it is not the best for taking good pictures I've learned. On occasion I would like to disagree with this because personally, I find something very interesting about shadows.
Have you ever held something like a citrus or kiwi slice up into the sunlight? Whenever I do I revert back to my 6 year old self, when I would find delight in the sunlight illuminating through a slice of fruit. As I find myself now deeply rooted in adulthood, I appreciate those precious moments when you can revisit childhood memories.
Avocado Watercress Salad (Raw & Vegan)
serves 2
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 small zucchini, diced
1 kiwifruit, skinned and diced
5-6 small leaves of fresh basil, finely minced
3-4 small leaves of cilantro, finely minced (you can omit this if you are a cilantrophobe)
pinch of salt
juice from 1/2 a Mayer lemon
handful of watercress for each salad
assorted greens for garnish (optional)
1 small starfruit for garnish (optional)
extra virgin olive oil
vinegar (your choice: I enjoy using balsamic, white balsamic, rice or coconut vinegars)
In a small bowl combine the diced avocado, zucchini and kiwifruit. Add the minced basil, minced cilantro, pinch of salt and the juice from half a Mayer lemon and gently toss everything to combine. Using either food rings, a round cookie cutter or even something like an empty aluminum can, gently press a few spoonfuls of the salad mixture into the mold. When you have placed in enough of the salad mixture to make a good sized stack, carefully and slowly remove the mold. Top the mixture with a handful of watercress greens. If you are feeling playful like I was, cut a few slices of starfruit and place them around the plate along with other assorted greens. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and vinegar over the top of the salad in amounts of your own preference. Enjoy!
1/2 avocado, diced
1/2 small zucchini, diced
1 kiwifruit, skinned and diced
5-6 small leaves of fresh basil, finely minced
3-4 small leaves of cilantro, finely minced (you can omit this if you are a cilantrophobe)
pinch of salt
juice from 1/2 a Mayer lemon
handful of watercress for each salad
assorted greens for garnish (optional)
1 small starfruit for garnish (optional)
extra virgin olive oil
vinegar (your choice: I enjoy using balsamic, white balsamic, rice or coconut vinegars)
In a small bowl combine the diced avocado, zucchini and kiwifruit. Add the minced basil, minced cilantro, pinch of salt and the juice from half a Mayer lemon and gently toss everything to combine. Using either food rings, a round cookie cutter or even something like an empty aluminum can, gently press a few spoonfuls of the salad mixture into the mold. When you have placed in enough of the salad mixture to make a good sized stack, carefully and slowly remove the mold. Top the mixture with a handful of watercress greens. If you are feeling playful like I was, cut a few slices of starfruit and place them around the plate along with other assorted greens. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and vinegar over the top of the salad in amounts of your own preference. Enjoy!
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