Avocado and Tomato Salad

Quick, Easy, and Healthy!

One of the easiest salads you will ever make!   This is a recipe that one of the sales ladies asked me for when I was in Mexico, at the Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay.  Jessica, this is for you.

Start with ripe, buttery Black Hass avocados.  Using the same technique that I described to make guacamole, remove the seed.  While the avocado is still in it's shell, cut the tender flesh into cubes by slicing one way, then the other, avoiding cutting through the shell. 

Lift the avocado cubes out by running a round ended knife around the edge and gradually working the pieces out from the shell.  It takes a couple of times to get the hang of it, but it's really quite simple.  The wider the end of the knife, the easier it is.  Place the avocado, sliced tomatoes (I like the Campari tomatoes that are on the vine and in a plastic container), and what ever else you would like in the bowl.  In the picture above, I cut up one of the little cippoline (chip-ah-LEE-nee) onions.  They are about 2-3 inches across and are flat.  The flavor is sweet and mild, so this makes for a nice addition to most types of salad.  The one used here was red, which is difficult to find, but I found it at the Whole Foods market.  Fresh basil or parsley leaves are also a nice addition and healthy.

The last step is to mix in your favorite dressing.  In the first picture above, you can see that I used roasted yellow bell and serrano pepper dressing from Cindy's Kitchen.  It is also available at Whole Foods.  If you would like to make your own dressing, try 1/8 cup of olive oil (use a good one) and 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar.  I like a good 20 year or so balsamic.  It gives the dressing a slight sweetness.  "Elsa" brand aged balsamic is very good and a reasonable price.  Another one you might consider is a flavored balsamic.  There are many different kinds, such as blueberry, or one I like from Wine Country Kitchens.  It is vanilla-fig balsamic.  Very tasty in dressings.  Add a little dressing at a time until you have a light coating of the vegetables.

Season with salt and pepper to taste in your salad, toss, and serve.

This is a very easy salad to make when you are RV'ing or staying at any of the Pueblo Bonito Resorts. 

Enjoy Jessica!  See you next year.