Friday, January 13, 2012

Cabbage, Radish & Avocado Salad

Toss together a few handfuls of thinly sliced cabbage, radishes, ½ of an avocado and you'll have a salad that's easy, tasty and nutritious that will leave you satisfied and full.

For the dressing whisk together fresh squeezed lime juice, a bit of fresh crushed garlic (a little goes a long way), a drizzle of honey, a bit of salt and fresh ground pepper. Whisk the ingredients together while slowly drizzling in the olive oil- I don’t measure out an exact amount, I just stop adding oil when the dressing starts to thicken. You can adjust all of the portions of this dressing according to your taste.

The key to this salad is the avocado, so don’t skimp on it. It adds a creaminess to the dish but also gives it a bit of substance, so you won’t feel hungry an hour later. 

A few notes I feel I have to say about avocados. I often hear people say that they don’t want to eat them because they are high in fat. Ok, true, avocados have fat, one medium avocado has about 30 grams. However, most of this is not saturated fat, but monounsaturated fat, the good kind that actually helps lower cholesterol levels. They are high in fiber, potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins and folic acid.

Make sure you use only ripe avocados, otherwise the salad won't be as creamy and flavorful as it should be. One trick that helps them ripen perfectly is to place hard avocados in a small paper bag in the cupboard for a few days until they are soft. Be patient with them, it's worth the wait, once you cut open an un-ripe avocado it will not continue to ripen. 

Ingredients:
cabbage
radish  (I used watermelon radishes)
avocado

Dressing:
½ lime
olive oil
honey
crushed fresh garlic
sea salt and pepper

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