I wanted to do a quick and easy salad recipe with the avocado that’d been sitting in my fridge for almost a week, and this is the end result, and what I had for lunch today – Avocado Half Shell Salad. I know, a whole avocado all by my lonesome self! The family doesn’t like avocado you see, the heathens!
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
I love avocado in salads, its creaminess is just perfect both as a foil to the often sharp dressing, as well as a means of filling oneself up without added starch. Not that I believe in a low carb lifestyle, but sometimes, a starchless lunch is just what your body needs.
And that is always the day after I’ve done deadlifts! Deadlifts wipe me out the next day, and sometimes, the day after too. But they are my favourite compound exercise, I get so much out of them, that there is no way I’ll give them up! So because I’m already tired, last thing I need for lunch is some starch to finish me off!
So, the conundrum was what to add to the avocado. I resisted strawberries, because I always add them to salads! I was tempted to add some lightly sauteéd prawns (shrimps), but then decided to keep it strictly vegetarian. And went further and left my favourite, favourite mozzarella balls alone in the fridge. Well, they weren’t quite alone, they had some parmesan and ricotta to keep them company.
So today’s Avocado Half Shell Salad is easy. It’s quick, and it’s pretty light. It’s pretty fluid too, in terms of what other vegetables you want to make it with. I kept it simple with just a tomato, a little cucumber and a spring onion (scallion). The dressing was easy too: olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some lemon juice.
What was a little special today, were these Balsamic Pearls that I discovered recently on Ocado, made by the guys at Belazu. They are just so delicious, a little sweeter than balsamic vinegar itself, and as you bite into one, it releases a burst of tangy sweetness and just takes this simple salad onto another level. I’m looking forward to trying it in other recipes too. If you are in the UK, Waitrose stocks them too, and naturally, you should find them elsewhere online easily.
Let’s go have some salad!
If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
Avocado Half Shell Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium tomato
- 5 slices cucumber
- 1 spring onion scallion
- 1 avocado
- Totally optional – balsamic pearls as garnish
Salad Dressing
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp balsamic vinegar
- pinch of salt
- freshly ground black pepper to your liking
Instructions
- Mix the salad dressing and set aside.
- Chop up the tomatoes into little cubes and place in a bowl, including any juices.
- Quarter the cucumber slices, and add to the bowl.
- Slice the spring onion however you like, and add to the bowl.
- Halve the avocado, then scoop out the the flesh. Chop out into little cubes, about the same size as the tomatoes. Place the avocado cubes into the bowl too.
- Drizzle the salad dressing all over and very gently mix everything in, just about 3 turns of your spoon/fork will do. We don't want to mash the avocado.
- Fill the avocado shells and serve up! For 2!
Wow very nicely presented. It must be very healthy and tasty. Thank you for sharing
I saw this on the sidebar, those pearls look really cool. I’ll have to pop down to the local Waitrose for them. Thanks.
Awesome, good luck and have fun! I dare you to bite into one on its own!
Fabulous salad. I’d be honoured if you would share this with everyone over at Food on Friday: April. Cheers from Carole’s Chatter
Thanks Carole, will do.
This is very delicious recipe. Seems like a perfect recipe afterworkout 🙂 good share.
Sure is, thank you.
What a pretty looking and refreshing salad:)
Thank you!
This is such a pretty salad! I will have to see if I can find those balsamic pearls!
Thanks Anika, let me know how it goes.
Ths looks sooo good! All my favorite things in one salad!
Thank you!
Wow, nice presentation! This salad is going to be the star of the dinner table tomorrow. Thank you!
Thank you, Nicky. Did you like it?
Azlin, it was just so wonderful! Amazingly, my local supermarket sells those balsamic pearls, so I used them too. They and this salad is going to be a regular! Thank you!