If you’re anything like me, you love nothing more than grabbing a big ole’ bowl of guacamole, some crisp, salty tortilla chips and going to town. Throw in some salsa and queso, and I’m in heaven!! Unfortunately, my hips doth protest 😉 And with bathing suit season upon us, I’m trying to eat a little lighter these days, and a little cleaner.
What I don’t want to do though is have to give up on all of those yummy flavors I love so much, so enter my ‘Guacamole Salad’. This salad has all the great flavors of my favorite guacamole, throw in some black beans for added protein, some yellow bell peppers for added color and crunch and BOOM, you’ve got the perfect ‘bikini friendly’ lunch that is a cinch to throw together and a just the thing to pack up and bring with you to the pool or beach!!!
Let’s get those ingredients ready!!
Ripe Haas Avocado, Grape Tomatoes, Yellow Bell Pepper, Red Onion, Garlic, Lime (zest and juice), Black Beans, Jalapeno, Cayenne Pepper, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and what really sets this dressing apart…Fresh Cilantro, Ground Cumin and Honey.
Grab a measuring cup and a whisk, and you can make the dressing right there in the cup! First, grate the lime BEFORE you juice it…trust me, it’s almost impossible to do after the fact ☺
Add the lime zest, lime juice, grated garlic and extra virgin olive oil into the glass and give it good whisk. Then…
Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, honey, chopped fresh cilantro, and give it another good whisk and set aside. I ended up using the juice of two limes – about ¼ C of lime juice, if you go over, that’s fine, I just wouldn’t use less.
Now it’s time to chop up the veggies! I had a pretty large red onion, so I only used about a ¼ of it.
You want to take a minute and mince (finely chop) those red onions. If you use huge chunks, it can be a little overwhelming in that bite. To mince it, I just make thin cuts in one direction, then I turn the onion…
and make a few cuts through the ones I just made (see pic above) and then when I slice it up, I have perfectly minced onions! Done and done.
For the grape tomatoes, I just slice them in half, then use my thumb to squeeze out the seeds, and then give them a rough chop! I’ve made this A LOT and I’ve found that if I don’t deseed the tomatoes, the dressing can become a little watery and the seeds can make it a touch bitter…but that’s just me ☺
For my tips on mincing the jalapeno’s, click here and scroll to see pics ☺
Plop all the veggies in a bowl (doesn’t that look so pretty already?!!!) Who said that eating healthy has to be boring?!!! Toss the veggies well, then add all of the dressing, and mix well to combine and set aside…
I like to cut my avocado right in the shell. I just use my knife and make diagonal slices (stopping when you feel the pressure of the peel at your knife so you don’t cut through), then turn and cross the slices I just made (see pic). *** GREAT TIP! If you’re packing this salad up to bring somewhere, stop here and run some lime over the avocado to keep from browning and throw into a zip lock baggie and into your cooler. When you get the pool, beach…etc… just scoop out the already cut avocado with a spoon and toss!) If you’re just eating at home, scoop that bad boy on out, and toss into the salad and enjoy!!!
I like to make this before I make the rest of my meal – the longer it sits, the better it tastes! Enjoy! Xoxo
Cyn’s Guac Salad
Adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten
Dressing:
– ¼ C Chopped Fresh Cilantro leaves (before chopping, the bunch of leaves is the size of a small fist)
– 2 Fresh Limes (ZEST of one of the limes, and juice both of the limes) you want at least ¼ C of juice
– ½ garlic clove, grated (if you don’t have a microplane, mince the garlic REALLY well…no one likes to bite into a piece of garlic.)
– ¼ C Extra Virgin Olive Oil (A scant ¼ C…you don’t need to pour it all the way to the ¼ mark)
– pinch of Cayenne pepper
– scant ½ tsp kosher salt
– ¼ tsp black pepper
– 2 heap tsp honey
– ½ tsp ground Cumin
Salad:
– ½ pint grape tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped (see tip above)
– 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, deseeded and chopped into small pieces (I wouldn’t sub a green bell pepper fir this, it will change the taste of the salad. If you can’t find yellow, use an orange pepper – sometimes they are easier to find)
– 1 fresh jalapeno, deseeded and finely minced (for a little more heat, keep the seeds in)
– ¼ Red Onion, finely minced
– 1 can black beans – drained and rinsed well
– 1 ripe Haas Avocado, diced (add this to the salad right before serving)
