California Avocado Red Onion Tomato Salad

Spring is here! Really, my backyard trees made this proud declaration with their baby green leaves. Weather has been pretty mild all week other than a slight weekend chill. Not to be dampened with the rain and the cooler weather, I set out making my favourite spring salad.

I was recently invited to California to present at a SAS conference. Work has been my priority for a while hence my absence from blogging.. Here’s my paper if you’d like to read more about what I do for a living. My San Francisco trip was the inspiration for this salad.. Everyone is so health conscious in the Bay area & Silicon Valley. It was a treat to eat fresh produce in restaurants. Even more welcoming was the respect accorded to vegetarians. About to ask our server in the Mexican restaurant about the rice that went into the quesadillas, she smiled preempting me. “we cook our rice in water not chicken stock”.. If you happen to read my paper you’ll find out more interesting facts.. which will lead you to the informative conclusion : Where else but in San Francisco would you expect to find health conscious granola crunching homeless?

Ingredients ½ cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped tomato 1 cup chopped avocado

Spice Mix Salt to taste 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro ½ tsp crushed red chilli flakes

Serves 2

Method
• Wash avocado, tomatoes and cilantro leaves.

• Peel onion. Cut into big chunks.

• Cut avocado in half. Remove pit and then score each side. Then remove the pulp by gently holding the skin above the bowl and popping the fresh avocado chunks directly into the bowl. Here’s a step by step how to.

• Cut tomatoes into large chunks.

• Stir in lemon juice, salt and crushed chili flakes. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

• Serve cold or room temperature. I like to serve this simple, yet bursting with fresh flavour salad with crusty bread.

Options
You could replace red onion with yellow! But you might end up compromising both colour and taste. Reds are infinitely more passionate and intense in my humble opinion. Regardless of the type of onion you eventually end up using, just one handy tip.. Cut onions when you are just about to serve salad. Cut onions sitting around for a long time don’t quite have the same crisp taste.

Health Benefits
•  Carotenoids in avocado help protect against eye disease.
•  Avocados are packed with oleic acid, a healthy fat to make your brain feel full sooner.
•  Oleic acid also helps reduce cholesterol levels so this is truly a heart healthy ingredient.
•  Rich and creamy, slows digestion and helps keep blood sugar from spiking after a meal. Try adding mashed avocado instead of mayonnaise to your next sandwich.
•  One cup of avocado provides almost a quarter of your recommended daily intake of folate, great for your unborn baby. A high folate intake is also associated with a lower risk of heart attacks and heart disease.

My mom initially approached avocado a hint diffidently. The smooth texture and green flesh were a bit alien for her taste. After a couple of bites to satisfy me, I spotted her surreptiously helping herself to more. Now avocado is a must buy on my weekly grocery run. I hope you too will turn to this salad any time you’re tired of hearty soups and when your palate begs for fresh and colourful spring fare.

–soul of spice–