by jptanabe
I don't consider myself a great cook and I used to hate potluck events because I never knew what to bring. But friends who had eaten at my house always asked me to bring my salad with avocado and tomatoes - they thought it was delicious!
This salad is so easy to prepare I never thought of it as special. But whenever I bring some, there's never any left for me so I guess everyone likes it! And I love it because I really enjoy eating avocados and tomatoes, and because making it is a cinch.
The ingredients for this salad are so simple:
 Avocado and Tomato Salad Jennifer P. Tanabe |
 Avocados by Jan-peter Westermann |
Avocados are just such amazing fruits. That giant pit is such a weird thing. And these Haas avocados don't look so great on the outside with that dark, kind of wrinkled skin. But inside they are wonderful!
I always choose Haas avocados. I just love their creamy texture and slightly nutty flavor. I could eat avocado alone any day! But, it's really good in salad so it's worth waiting for.
When I buy avocados I choose ones that aren't very soft, or they are too ripe. They ripen very easily at home. But if you want to make salad that day, better choose ones that aren't hard as rocks!
My daughter has always loved tomatoes, the first "vegetable" that she would eat. I do grow tomatoes myself and they taste so much better than those store bought ones. I like the "on the vine" ones when I have to get store bought ones, like last year when the summer was so wet all mine died of blight.
Tomatoes are just perfect in a salad. They are such a great red color among all that other green stuff. They are juicy, sweet and tangy all in one. Even store bought ones perk up with some salad dressing - excellent!
 Tomatoes on Vine by Mitch Diamond |
I love this Italian dressing - it has lots of good herbs to give it a good flavor, but not too overpowering, and it isn't too sweet.
It also comes in a "fat-free" version for those who need to watch their diet.
One thing that is special about balsamic vinegar, apart from (obviously) the taste, is that it comes in these really interesting bottles!
I don't know which brands taste the best, but I often choose one based on how attractive its bottle is.
This makes enough for 3-4 people:
Of course, it's easy to multiply the quantities (in whole numbers of avocados is best!).
Mix all ingredients
in a salad bowl
Store in the refrigerator
for an hour or so
till the flavors blend
Serve and enjoy!
For serving this particular salad I prefer a clear glass bowl. That way you can see the beautiful red and green colors!
This is a nice example. And, if you want to save money, you can just as easily use a pyrex mixing bowl!
On the other hand, this Portmeirion Botanic Garden Salad Bowl is rather pretty so I just had to include it too.
After you've let it cool in the refrigerator, your salad is ready to serve. Leaving it for a little while allows all the flavors to mix for the most delicious result. This is why it's good for potluck - it can be fully prepared ahead of time and brought as a complete dish.
It can be served in nice separate salad bowls. Or, since in my house we generally have rice with our meals (my husband being Japanese), this salad can go on the main plate and the dressing soaks into the rice giving it wonderful flavor.
This salad is great accompanying anything! And, since lettuce sometimes seems so cold in cool weather, we just love this salad during the winter season. That includes those great holiday feasts!
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Think avocado and tomato salad is great?
We are big fans of the avocado at our house, so this salad sounds like it would be right up our alley! I really like Mira's idea for dressig ntool
This is a mix of two f my favorites. I ea qite a few tomatoes as snacks, so I would enjoy such a salad.
Thanks! Garlic, olive oil and lime juice also sounds like a great idea - I'll have to try it (just don't have any lime juice on hand at the moment)!
I make this salad with garlic, olive oil and lime juice. I'll try it with Italian dressing! I think you're onto something :) Also the fact that you keep it in the fridge for an hour :)