Green on Green Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

I’m not usually one to post a salad recipe because, really, a salad isn’t a recipe. It’s a bunch of green stuff thrown in a bowl, usually topped with a bunch of stuff to make it sort of unhealthy, and then topped with more stuff to make it even unhealthier.

I tend to think that a salad post can be a bit of a cop-out. “Hey, look at this green stuff I threw in a bowl!” But honestly, I think many of us can agree that the dressing on a salad is what can make or break a meal. A great salad with a mediocre dressing can just be well, mediocre. However, a bunch of greens with a stellar dressing can be ridiculously delicious.

In an attempt to duplicate a favorite restaurant salad without breaking the calorie bank, I came up with this combination:

• One head butter (bibb) lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Baby spinach
• 1/2 granny smith apple, diced
• 1/2 bosc pear, diced
• 2″ piece jicama, grated
• 2 ounces crumbled bleu cheese
• 1/2 chicken breast, diced
• Creamy avocado dressing (recipe to follow)

The lettuce and spinach were slightly bitter, the fruit tart and crunchy, the jicama sweet, and the bleu cheese tangy, all brought together by the creaminess of this delicious dressing. Feel free to substitute the dairy milk for your favorite non-dairy milk to make it vegan.

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing

Cook Time: none

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 2 small avocados
• 1/2 cup lowfat milk
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Instructions

Peel and pit the avocados.

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Use on your favorite salad, or place in a jar and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

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Now do you understand the “green on green” title? Green lettuce, green apple, green pear, and lovely creamy green dressing.

I’m loving these meal salads… I guess salad posts aren’t a cop out after all!

Tagged as: salad, simple recipe, South Beach Diet, vegetables