Ohhh, this is just the best thing ever. There are 5 main ingredients in this recipe, and they all combine to create one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had. The creaminess of a whole avocado together with toasted, super thin slices of almonds is insanely good on its own. Combine that with the peppery-ness of some arugula, the freshness of plum tomatoes, and a little dusting of parmesan cheese, dress it with a really simple lemon olive oil, good grief. This seems like a really indulgent little lunch, but it’s so healthy, and pretty, too. The next time we have people over for dinner, I think I’m going to make a platter of this for the salad course. Any takers?
AVOCADO & TOMATO SALAD WITH ARUGULA, TOASTED ALMONDS, & LEMON OLIVE OIL (serves 1)
– 1 ripe avocado, halved
– 1.5 plum tomatoes, cut into quarters (discard the middle part with the seeds)
– handful arugula leaves, or mixed greens
– handful thinly sliced almonds (you can find a bag of these in most grocery stores), toasted
– parmesan cheese, for topping
– juice of half a lemon
– 2 tbsp. EVOO
– good-quality salt, for topping
1. In a small pan, toast the almonds over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently so they don’t burn. They should toast up pretty quickly – maybe only 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and set aside.
2. Cut the avocado in half – run a knife through it, twist it open, then carefully whack the avocado pit with the knife blade and remove it. Then, run your knife around the perimeter of the avocado halves, and carefully squeeze out each avocado half.
3. Arrange arugula leaves in the center of a plate, then place the avocado halves on either side. Add sliced tomatoes.
4. Combine the lemon juice and EVOO, stir to combine. Drizzle over the avocado/tomato/arugula.
5. Top with the toasted almond slices, dust with a little parmesan cheese, then add a pinch of really good quality salt crystals over everything to bring it all together.
I’m going to go make another one of these right now. So good!