Potato Gallette Avocado Chopped Salad

I grew up in heat. Lots of heat. Giant blow-dryer heat. Cook-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk heat. Skin-sticks-to-the-chair heat.

They say in Tucson, “it’s a dry heat,” so it feels cooler. I disagree. If it’s 115 out, it’s hot, hot, HOT.

We kids used to do odd things to keep cool in the summers. We ran through the sprinklers. We laid in the shady carport so our bare stomachs could be against the cool smooth cement playing Go Fish.  We drank lemonade all day long. We rode around town at night with all the car windows rolled down. Sometimes we ate banana splits for dinner. And we ate tons and tons of cold salads.

One of my favorites is the simplest chopped salad you can make: cool, creamy avocados paired with ripe tomatoes and tart grassy green onions. All tossed with a light Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. This is a salad that just screams “SUMMER” in your mouth, and on your plate.

Avocado Chopped Salad topped with Smoked Paprika Grilled Shrimp

 

It’s also a healthy take on potato salad for the June Daring Cooks challenge and the potato version makes for a perfect Meatless Monday treat.

So, let’s summarize: easy, cool, refreshing, healthy. Summer conquered!

Read the rest of this entry →