No-cook recipes are sometimes my favorite. Avocado and Greens Salad, thank you for existing. Really. Last week, I was busy-and I mean, really, really busy. Here’s some of what I’ve got going on right now: day job, second job, a volunteer project I’m working on for a friend, and of course this blog. For these reasons, plus normal household stuff to maintain my Not-Living-In-Squalor Status, I was feeling stretched a bit thin. Meanwhile, I’ve got a pile of things in a laundry basket by the front door waiting to get dropped off for donation, but we’re not going to acknowledge it this week.
Also, I’ve been feeling a bit like a hermit, since I basically wake up and computer my way through the morning, computer through the afternoon, then come home and computer some more, then –ooh! A break! Photograph tasty food! And then…..upload them to a computer. Then time for bed and sleep. R.I.P. my social life. Of course, you see where this is going, don’t you? Next stop, Hermitville and it’s not-so-peaceful suburb of Backpainia. Too much sitting resulted in my neck going sideways and it’s taken lots of ibuprofen, stretching, and heating pad sessions to get it un-kinked. After I got my neck behaving (mostly) I made a point NOT to skip dinner out with my mom and some friends from the SPCA.
So, this weekend, while feeling a bit run-down and in need of quick, healthy food, I made this Avocado and Greens Salad with Lemon Mint Dressing for me and the boyfriend, and we watched Harry Potter and stayed in for Saturday date night while I rested on the heating pad. It was definitely a self-care weekend. It was awesome.
This avocado and greens salad makes a really solid, healthy meal that will help you recharge your batteries when you’re feeling drained.
- Juice of 1 large Lemon
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 T. fresh mint, finely diced
- 10 cups Mixed Greens (I like the ones that contain arugula)
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1 avocado, diced into cubes
- Measure out the sea salt & pepper and the olive oil, mince the garlic, chop the mint, and juice the lemon. Combine in a bowl and set aside.
- Chop the cucumber into bite-size pieces, rinse and drain the chickpeas, and dice the avocado.
- In a large bowl, add your mixed greens, cucumber, chickpeas, and avocado. Toss.
- Serve on a large plate or in a large bowl, drizzle the dressing over top. Keeping the dressing separate from the rest of the salad will make your salad mix keep longer in the fridge in an airtight container.
Step by Step for Avocado and Greens Salad with Lemon Mint Dressing
I gotta admit, I feel a LITTLE silly for making step by step instructions for this salad, because it’s seriously that easy. Yet, I couldn’t resist taking pics that include some new ingredient bowls I found this weekend; so cute, and dishwasher friendly!
First, measure out your ingredients. Cut up your cucumber and avocado into bite size pieces and set aside. Then, juice one large lemon, (or two or three small ones, I like my salad dressing to be really lemony). Next, mince four cloves of garlic, and chop up your mint leaves finely. Then, measure out 1/4 tsp. sea salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, plus your 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Then, just mix all ingredients (except cucumber) together to make your dressing and set aside.
Note: I currently use California Olive Ranch Extra Virgin Olive Oil because I love the flavor. It’s mild, yet more “olive-y” and just overall better than the generic brand I was buying before. This is a brand I trust to be the real olive oil I’m paying for – it’s COOC certified Extra Virgin, and in light of some studies regarding olive oil fakery, trust is important to me when it comes to olive oil. If you want to learn more about making sure your olive oil is real, I talk more about how to do that in this post.
I am definitely mostly comprised of chickpeas after eating this salad.
Second, take your rinsed and drained chickpeas, your salad greens, diced avocado, and the cucumber and place in a large salad bowl and toss until evenly combined. You can use any mixed greens you would like, but I really like mixed salad greens that include arugula, because their slightly bitter flavor makes a nice complement to the smoothness of the avocado. Additionally, if you want to include other veggies, like tomatoes or carrots, the sky is really the limit here.
If salad this pretty is wrong, I don’t want to be right.
Finally, serve on a large plate or in a large bowl, and drizzle the Lemon Mint dressing over the salad.
That’s seriously it – You’re done! You now have easy tasty salad for when you’re pressed for time and energy. This Avocado and Greens Salad makes a great lightweight dinner meal, or you can pair it with something else. Brown rice, whole grain pasta, or roasted potatoes would all make a wonderful addition to this Avocado and Greens Salad.
If you need healthy and fast, this Avocado and Greens Salad with Lemon Mint Dressing is the salad for you.