Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Fresh Avocado Salad Recipe


I know...I know. It's been ages since I posted on my blog.

What can I say? Actually, I have a good excuse. Ready for it? Here goes: I moved across the world and was so busy learning Spanish and selling all of my worldly possessions that I forgot to blog.  Then we started a training program and life got incredibly busy.  All that to say; I'm back and I have some incredible recipes and ideas to show you.  The first of which, is one of the most amazing Salad's I've ever created.

But first, a story.

On my first trip to the grocery store here in Ecuador I cried. Talk about culture shock.  Beyond the isles and isles of food labels that I could not read was the startling realization that I do not know how to cook.  Not at all. Not even a little bit.  I never thought I was one who relied on prepackaged foods much, but was I wrong!

I did. A lot.

For example, I wandered to the salad dressing isle and saw that I only had two or three choices.  Italian and Ranch in two brands.  Neither of those generic dressings really appealed to me.  Where was my Paul Newman's Italian Blend dressing? Sigh... not here.

Then there were the mystery isles of the store.  The entire isle dedicated to yogurt.  What does one do with that isle? (Answer: a lot.) Then, there was the additional yogurt isle of yogurts that you drink.  Another mystery isle for me was the isle of "Flour." Yes. An entire isle of different types of flour- each one used to make something amazing.  I am also living at close to 10,000 ft elevation so the pre-packed and imported Betty Crocker Cake Mixes flatted to cookies when I made them.  Baking Soda is also not sold in stores here- which makes for interesting recipe substitutes. No jarred salsas here,  and my regular food staple of Spaghetti sauce would cost close to $8.00 to buy.

So, as time passed and my family could no longer stomach Quesadillas and sandwiches I rolled up my sleeves and decided to learn how to cook.  Here in Ecuador I have access to some of the most AMAZING fruits and vegetables. From farmer markets to street vendors, the produce here is in abundance.  It's mostly organic and Ecuador specializes in Hydroponic grown vegetation as well. All that to say, you can't really go wrong when everything tastes amazingly fresh.  

This is one of my first creations.  It's fast. It's easy. It's fresh. I hope you like it!

Avocado Salad Recipe: Serves 2

Ingredients:

For Salad:
1 Cubed Avocado
1 pkg of Grape Tomatoes
1/2 large Cucumber (Cut into small cubes)
Spinach or Romane Lettuce (Your preference)
Cubed Mozzarella Cheese
Grated Parmesan Cheese (for topping)


Dressing:
2 TSP Dry Oregano
1/2 TSP Garlic Salt
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 TSP olive oil and Balsamic Vinegar (1 per salad)
1/4 TSP Ground Red Pepper

Directions:
1. Prepare salad by combining Avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, Mozzarella and Lettuce together on two separate plates.
2. Sprinkle all dressing ingredients on top of each salad.
3. Mix well and top with Parmesan cheese.
4. Enjoy!

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