I’ll admit it: I love the Food Network. While I’m more drawn to shows like Chopped! and Iron Chef America, I decided to watch an old episode of Barefoot Contessa yesterday. Normally, Ina’s food isn’t really up my alley but her recipe for Guacamole Salad spoke to me right away. Only bummer…it wasn’t paleo. A couple of tweaks later, and I had a bowl of amazing flavors and colors sitting in front of me…perfect for a summer cook-out (or just a quiet weeknight at home). The creaminess of the avocado, tang from the lime and crunch from the Persian cucumbers are the stars of the show! (Persian cucumbers have thinner skin and hardly any seeds…their crunchiness is the reason I used them. If you can’t find them, regular cucumber–peeled and seeded–would be a good replacement).

Prep time: 15 min     Cook time: 0 min    Makes: 4-5 cups

Ingredients:

Salad:

• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 3 Persian cucumbers
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 2 large, ripe avocados (I used 3 small)
• 1 jalapeño pepper (2 if you like spicy)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 handful fresh cilantro

Dressing:

• Zest from 1 lime
• 1/3 c. fresh lime juice (about 4 limes)
• 1/4 c. Kasandrinos Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

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Directions:

1. Prepare the veggies and add to a large mixing bowl:

• Halve the grape tomatoes.
• Chop the cucumbers and bell pepper into medium chunks…we are making salad here, not salsa!
• Chop the red onion into small dice (big chunks of onion = not so bueno).
• Cut the avocados in half, and remove the pit. Use a spoon to scoop out the entire flesh. Then chop into medium chunks.
• Chop the garlic and jalapeño finely. Remove the white inner membrane and seeds to control the spiciness.
• Run your knife through the cilantro a few times to cut the leaves down a bit.

2. Mix all the veggies together and then prepare the dressing.

3. Zest one lime into the bowl.

4. In a measuring cup, combine the fresh lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Mix and pour over the veggies. Toss to coat.

5. Try not to eat the whole bowl! :)