Guacamole Salad

3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 dashes Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 large ripe tomato (for about 1 cup chunks)
1 stalk celery (for about 1/2 cup diced)
2 scallions (for 1/4 cup slices)
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
2 ripe avocados
4 lettuce leaves, for serving, such as Bibb, Boston, iceberg or Romaine
1/4 cup crushed reduced-fat or regular tortilla chips, optional garnish

Combine oil, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sugar, Worcestershire, cumin and Tabasco in a small jar that has a lid. Shake to combine and set aside.

Core tomato (but do not peel it), and cut it into bite-size chunks. Place chunks into a 6-cup or larger bowl. Rinse and dice celery, and add to bowl. Slice scallions, using all of the white parts and enough tender green tops to make 1/4 cup. Add it to bowl. Mince cilantro and add it to bowl.

Cut avocados in half lengthwise, and twist halves apart. Remove seed. Cut unpeeled avocados lengthwise into strips about 1/2 inch wide. Pull peel from strips. Cut avocado into bite-size chunks and add them to bowl.

Shake dressing to recombine and pour it over avocado mixture. Stir gently to mix and coat vegetables with dressing. (Stir until green of avocados begins to mix with the dressing a bit, but do not over stir or they will become mushy.) To serve, place a lettuce leaf on each plate and spoon the avocado mixture into the middle of each leaf. If desired, sprinkle 1 tablespoon crushed tortilla chips over salad on each plate. Serve at once.

Guacamole Salad

Buying the right avocados can make or break a good guacamole, so here’s our favorite avocado tip:

Buy green, hard, (unripe) avocados three days to a week ahead and ripen them yourself. Leave them on the counter, and just as soon as they turn black and yield to gentle pressure, put them into the refrigerator to bring the ripening to a near standstill. (They’ll keep at this stage for at least three more days and often up to five more.)

This method gives you ripe avocados still firm enough to use in a salad and avoid any brown spots on the flesh. (If you buy a black, ripe avocado make sure it’s not too soft when pressed or it’s likely to be marred with brown inside!) If you should need to hurry the ripening process, put avocados into a brown paper bag with an apple or banana.

Guacamole Salad

Approximate Values Per Serving: 287 calories (69% from fat), 24 g fat (3 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 10 g dietary fiber, 326 mg sodium

Print this recipe:

• Print Recipe with Image
• Print Recipe without Image