Avocado and papaya salad

Thank goodness, we can start to believe that winter is behind us.
As soon as the ice melts, I start wanting more salads. This one began with a ripe avocado and a sweet papaya -- both tropical fruits at the peak of their season now.
For dressing, I went ultra-simple--lime, olive oil and light seasonings.

Recipe: Avocado and Papaya Salad
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
4-5 cups greens of your choice (I used Boston lettuce)
1 ripe avocado, cut into bite-size cubes
1 medium papaya, peeled, seeded and diced
1 medium tomato, diced
2-3 T chopped olives (optional)
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:
In a large salad bowl, toss together the first five ingredients (greens through olives). Be gentle--both the avocado and the papaya are delicate fruits.
In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice and olive oil; add salt and pepper.
Poor dressing over greens, toss gently and serve.

A delicious salad dressing

I got this idea from the marvelous new Rick Bayless restaurant in Chicago, Xoco, where I had a simple salad with dressing that was so remarkable, I asked the chef for her recipe and whether I could bring a bottle of it home.

She told me the ingredients but said it's so perishable that they make it fresh every day--alas, not possible to bottle the stuff.

To accompany our Valentine's Day dinner (main dish recipe below), I tried to approximate Xoco's dressing on a broccoli slaw base. At this time of year, however, they didn't have cilantro at the market so I had to substitute parsley, which affected the results.

Also note that you can adjust the liquid ingredients (half & half, olive oil) to make the dressing more or less thick. For instance, if you want to serve it on lettuces, it would be better at a thinner consistency.

Recipe: Broccoli Slaw with Avocado-Lime Dressing
(Makes 4 servings)

For the dressing:
In a food processor, puree two-thirds of a very ripe avocado with the juice of one lime, a handful of parsley or (preferably) cilantro, 2 T fat free half and half*, 2 T olive oil, a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt and pepper. When smooth, taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.

Note: Sour cream would be ideal here, but I didn't have any on hand. A reader busted me in a comment about using fat free h&h, saying it's "chemicals." If anyone knows an acceptable (& healthier) substitute for the stuff, especially that will taste good in my hot tea and coffee, please post a comment.

For the salad:
Place one package broccoli slaw in a large salad bowl. Stir in 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small strips, and 1 T rinsed capers.
Pour dressing on salad and toss well.
When serving, slice the remaining avocado onto plates.

A salad with CHOCOLATE

Here's an unusual (& healthy) way to get more chocolate into our diet--not that we have too much trouble doing that. At Crippen's Restaurant in Blowing Rock NC, they served this salad with shaved chocolate on it. Mmm, mmm.

The salad included mixed greens, sliced strawberries, crumbled goat cheese, shaved Parmesan and toasted almonds with a black pepper-Dijon vinaigrette. And of course the chocolate topped it off.

Try this at home, and amaze your family and/or friends.

Summer salad--in new dishes

Here's a simple salad from the bounty of summer, with a one or two exotic ingredients thrown in.

--Use locally grown lettuces from your closest farmers market (I like arugula best)

--Dice one-half large, ripe tomato, add light salt and pepper

--Dice a cup of seedless watermelon

--Make your vinaigrette with a couple tablespoons of high-quality Balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper

--Toss all ingredients, sprinkle with goat cheese crumbles and chopped pecans, and serve. (These proportions are for 2 servings, but double them for 4, etc.)

The dishes are from a stop at one of my favorite road finds: Bloomfield's, a wonderful tableware and all things houseware in Flat Rock, NC, on I-26 between Asheville NC and Greenville SC. Discount prices on Fiesta ware, Italian crockery, and an amazing array of cookware, gadgets, grilling utensils, glassware, tablecloths, and too many other things to name.