Happy Friday everyone!! So.. something has happened… I finally gave into Goop. I’ve been reading about our friend Gwyneth’s diet for some time and I finally tried one of her recipes.
Even though I made my own alterations, the result was fan-freaking-tastic.
Do you guys know what tomorrow is? Cinco de Mayo! I know it’s also the Kentucky Derby, but I made this salad for Chris and I before we left for Florida last week. I thought it was a perfect dish to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! A salad on Cinco de Mayo means less guilt when having a margarita! (A salad on Derby Day means less guilt when having a mint julep too!)
I frequently eat a salad for lunch. So, if I am committing to having one for dinner, then it needs to have a little something extra going on. In order to make this salad “dinner-worthy,” I roasted the tomatoes, sautéed the onions, and made a Honey Lime Vinaigrette with Cilantro.
To make two of my Deconstructed Guacamole Salads you need the following: 1 cup of grape tomatoes, 1/4 yellow onion, 4 cups (or handfuls) of spinach, 1 avocado, 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips, 1 teaspoon of olive oil, olive oil cooking spray, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper (not pictured).
For the dressing, you need: 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1/2 minced garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon of diced jalapeño, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro.
We want to begin by making the Honey Lime Vinaigrette with Cilantro, so the flavors can meld together. Start off by dicing your jalapeño pepper. I left out half of the seeds from the section I diced to add to the vinaigrette for spice, but you can leave more out for less heat.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of diced jalapeño, 1/2 of a minced garlic clove, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small bowl or jar. Next add 1 tablespoon of honey.
Finally add 2 tablespoons of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.
Mix to combine, and set aside.
Now lets move on to the salad. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice one cup of grape tomatoes in half. Add tomatoes to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spray your tomatoes with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Place the pan in the oven and roast for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, cut 1/4 of a yellow onion into rounds. Add to a pan and drizzle with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Saute over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes.
Remove your tomatoes from the oven. They will be soft, but should maintain their shape.
Once your onion is soft and brown with a little char, remove from the heat.
Before adding the onions and tomatoes, toss 4 cups of spinach with half of the Honey Lime Vinaigrette. Add the spinach to a plate, then top with the roasted tomatoes and sautéed onions.
Add a few crushed tortilla chips as croutons, then finally, top each salad with 1/2 of an avocado. I fanned mine, meaning you remove the pitted avocado with a spoon and then slice it lengthwise, leaving a small part connected at the top so that the finished avocado will “fan out” along the salad. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and enjoy!!!
Filed under avocado, dinner, healthy, main course, meatless main, salad, vegetable, yellow onion
Sorry things have been quiet around here, Chris and I were in Florida this weekend for a wedding! I created this Grilled Corn and Avocado Salsa on a whim, because I thought my Blackened Cumin-Cayenne Tilapia needed a little something fresh to make it pop. I was pleasantly surprised by my creation, Chris and I actually ending up eating the rest of this bowl with tortilla chips. I will definitely be making this again, it’s a great twist on your typical guacamole/salsa because the grilled corn adds a nice sweetness.
