Cold weather means two things: comfort foods and winter produce. We wanted to unite the two, which is what inspired these five winter avocado salads. Each recipe is packed with a variety of winter veggies, nuts, and fruits (like avocado!). Bellies, prepare to be comforted.

Related: Chew chew! All aboard for the Salad Station, where you can build your own salad and discover new recipes.

5 Winter Avocado Salads

1. Avocado, Blood Orange, and Pear Salad With Gorgonzola Crumbles

   Sweet and satisfying, this salad made with pears, oranges, and avocados is a fresh and flavorful meal. Drizzled with dressing made from blood orange juice, oregano, and chipotle powder, it will have your taste buds watering and your guests wondering where they can get the recipe. (It’s OK, you can tell them it’s yours.)

2. Avocado Brussels Sprouts Salad With Pumpkin Seeds

   This recipe is stellar when paired with rotisserie chicken or roast turkey — but it’s just as enjoyable on its own. The nutty notes of roasted Brussels sprouts and smooth avocado seem to shine under a dressing of bright lemon and spicy sriracha. Toss in the crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds, and you have a symphony of texture and flavor right on your dinner table.

3. Farro Salad with Lemon & Fresh Dill Herbed Dressing

   A spectacular salad by any account, this recipe is chock-full of greens and grains. Perfectly delicious for anyone who’s on a Mediterranean diet or who’s just a fan of farro, this salad features goat cheese, cranberries, arugula, and walnuts. A true crowd pleaser, the goodness in this delicious salad is endless.

4. Avocado Beet Salad

   This salad comes to your table in dramatic fashion, featuring beets, green onion, and smooth avocados, all atop a boat of crisp romaine. Topped off by a dressing of tangy apple cider vinegar and dill, it’s almost too pretty to eat. And beyond its deliciousness, the healthy avocado featured in this recipe is sodium- and cholesterol-free, so you can feel great about eating something that tastes so good!

5. Shrimp, Avocado, Winter Fruit Salad

   Change up your winter meal rotation with this vibrant shrimp salad. Complete with crunchy red grapes and creamy avocado, this recipe is a small tropical escape from the cold weather with flavors of sweet mango and zesty lime.

Has your tummy been grumbling while you’ve been reading? Order your ingredients online and get to tossing!

And if you haven’t quite seen enough here, be sure to peruse our recipe page for more spectacular salads.

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Hearty and perfect for any meal, great for two or for a crowd, and never out of style, egg salad is among the most adaptable dishes you can make. But instead of using a traditional egg salad base such as mayonnaise, why not opt for creamy and delicious Avocados From Mexico?

Fresh avocados are a heart-healthy fruit. They provide naturally good fats, are low in saturated fat, and are cholesterol-, sugar-, and sodium-free. Not to mention that their delicious, green, creamy flavor is the perfect substitute for traditional salad spreads. It ain’t your grandma's egg salad, but it’s just as good!

Related: For more easy recipes, check out our five favorite shrimp and avocado salads.

Here are three unique ways to make avocado egg salad.

3 Avocado Egg Salad Recipes

1. The Simple Way

   Eggs-cercise your taste buds with this simple avocado egg salad. Diced celery gives a small crunch among the creamy egg and avocado mixture while onion, pepper, and Dijon provide a tasty kick! This salad keeps you content and helps defend against aggressive hunger cravings.

Did You Know? Avocados are a good source of fiber and are a great way to add variety to the diet. Dietary fiber adds bulk to the diet and can help you feel fuller faster and help manage your weight.

2. The Fruity Way

   This fruity avocado egg salad is stuffed with sweet pomegranate seeds, tangy orange, and Avocados From Mexico (because they’re a fruit too!). In fact, fresh avocados are essentially the only fruits with good fats. They are low in saturated fat and provide 6 grams of unsaturated fat per serving. You can see why they're our favorite!

3. The Meaty Way

   Now here's a chicken and avocado egg salad to fight off even the biggest appetite. Tossed with a garlicky, onion-mustard dressing, this recipe is too good to ignore. Crunchy lettuce and smooth, delicious avocado strike a perfect texture balance. And since it's packed with hard-boiled eggs and strips of roasted chicken, this salad is a great addition to any high-protein dietary regimen. Plus, all the ingredients also fit perfectly with a gluten-free diet!

These delicious avocado egg salads may be easy to whip up, but they won’t make themselves. So next time you’re at the store, don’t forget the avocados! Or make it easier on yourself by ordering avocados online and having them delivered to your door.

Hungry for more? Head to our recipe page for hundreds of ways to satisfy your appetite.

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A classic summer side dish, the cold pasta salad has never been more delicious than on lazy days. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite avocado pasta salad recipes to keep your mealtimes cool and calm.

Whether you’re making these pasta salads as meal-prep lunches or for a lazy weekend dinner, remember that when you include Avocados From Mexico, you’re adding nearly 20 vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients to your family’s meal. That’s what we call using your noodle!

Related: You’ll never go back to regular mac after you try this avocado mac ‘n’ cheese recipe.

5 Avocado Pasta Salad Recipes

• Avocado Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

  Looking for the perfect recipe? Remain chill; this vegetarian pasta salad has got you covered. Made with whole-wheat rotini pasta, cherry tomatoes, avocado cubes, red onion, chickpeas, feta, and Kalamata olives, this avocado pasta salad is bursting with colorful veggies. Once it’s been topped with a hearty helping of avocado basil dressing, you’ll be in pasta heaven.

• Elbow Pasta Salad

  Sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and mozzarella cheese = good. Adding a dressing made from orange zest, raspberry chipotle hot sauce, and honey = even better. The final part of the formula: Topping it all with diced Avocados From Mexico. Now that’s perfection.

• Mediterranean Avocado Pasta Salad

  This chilled pasta salad filled with garlic, cucumber, red onion, and feta will have your tastebuds sailing away off the shores of Santorini. Add cherry tomatoes, basil, and avocados and you might just never come back. This recipe calls for rotini, but you can use any of your favorite short pastas to make it truly yours.

Pro Tip: Try substituting quinoa or brown rice to make any of these recipes perfect for a gluten-free diet.

• Avocado Pesto Pasta Salad With Oaxaca Cheese

  This avocado pasta salad is fantastic warm or cold. It features a homemade pesto and is topped with Oaxaca cheese — the perfect combo fora vegetarian entrée but just as great when served with salmon or grilled chicken. Just don’t forget to add the fresh avocado to help increase your family’s fruit and vegetable intake. They're delicious, heart-healthy, and a source of naturally good fats!

• Spicy Pasta Salad

  Though refreshingly cool, this chilled pasta salad still brings the heat in its own way. Roasted chicken, cucumber, feta, and black olives are tossed in a bed of delicate orzo. The jalapeño dressing lights a fire in your mouth, but creamy avocado soothes the flames. It’s the perfect pasta to eat by the spoonful!

When the feasting is finished, be sure you know how to keep cut avocados from browning so you can enjoy the leftovers for the next few days. Hasta la pasta!

Discover more exciting recipes like these on our recipe page.

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There's nothing quite like a summer evening spent outside barbecuing and enjoying the company of family and friends. The days of sunshine and picnics are upon us, and we have the perfect potluck showstopper: corn, tomato, and avocado salad.

Bursting with fresh flavors and summertime colors, this salad is absolutely brimming with goodness. It goes great on a paper plate — pair it with BBQ regulars like veggies, burgers, and chicken, or enjoy it on its own. A word to the wise: Eat quickly. We can't promise there will be any leftovers.

Related: Cool off after a long, hot summer’s day with this chocolate avocado ice cream cake.

Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
• 2 c. cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• 2 Avocados From Mexico, diced
• 3 ears of corn, in the husk
• 1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium lime, juiced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp. coarse salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat grill for high direct heat and trim your corn husks back about 1 inch from the end. Cut off the stalk and place on the grill. Turn every 5 minutes until desired level of char, about 20 minutes total. (If you don't have a grill, pan frying your corn kernels can create that summer cookout taste without firing up the coals.)
2. Remove corn from grill and allow to cool until safe to handle. Slice down the outside of the corn ears from top to stalk, removing the kernels. Set aside.
3. Dice avocado into bite size pieces. Be sure you know how to cut, slice, and dice an avocado the right way!
4. In a large bowl, combine grilled corn, Avocados From Mexico, onion, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. Mix well.
5. Dress salad with remaining ingredients and combine until well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dig in!

This corn, tomato, and avocado salad can be made a few hours in advance to allow for cooling, but tastes great when served immediately. Add extra lime juice to the dressing to help prevent the avocado from browning to keep your salad looking fresh!

Not only does it taste like summer in a spoon, but it’s also packed with veggies and topped with heart-healthy Avocados From Mexico. Avocados are low in saturated fat and are a great fresh-fruit option to help boost fiber intake. Who wouldn’t want them at the party?

Discover all kinds of new ways to enjoy avocado on our recipe page.

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Long gone are the days of boring salads! Avocado and shrimp is the perfect pair of powerhouse foods to liven up your plate. The following shrimp and avocado salad recipes are delicious and easy to whip up for potlucks, BBQs, and family meals on the fly.

Related: Learn the right way to slice an avocado in seconds.

Leafy Salads

Avocado and shrimp can make leafy greens go down easy, even for the pickiest eaters. The buttery texture of avocado softens a mouthful of hard greens, while shrimp delivers a satisfyingly savory bite.

• Shrimp, Avocado, and Winter Fruit Salad

  This heart-healthy recipe is packed with delectable fruits available year-round: creamy avocado (yes, avocado is a fruit!), tangy mango, and juicy red grapes, colorfully arranged on a bed of fresh greens.

• Thai Avocado Shrimp Bowl

  Feeling like Thai tonight? Make dinner a feast of Eastern flavors with this salad bowl, which combines a hearty helping of shrimp, mango, cucumber, peanuts, and avocado, drizzled all over with a homemade ginger-infused chili vinaigrette dressing. (And if you’re looking to whet your appetite, try one of these Thai guacamole recipes.)

• Grilled Prawn Salad With Tomatoes & Avocado Aioli

  While prawns aren’t exactly shrimp, they’re close cousins and taste identical. Try this savory recipe, made with fragrant garlic, turkey bacon, and tomatoes. No prawns? No problem! Substitute shrimp instead.

Lump Salads

Lump salads are an excellent choice for appetizers or an easy-peasy lunch. Only, instead of mayonnaise, which is commonly used in tuna salad or chicken salad, it’s creamy avocado that holds all the ingredients together in these delectable recipes.

• Avocado Shrimp Salad

  You can’t go wrong when you start with the basics. This classic recipe is easy to assemble in a pinch. It’s mostly made of—you guessed it—avocado and shrimp. Scoop it with pita or tortilla chips for an afternoon snack or scoop a spoonful onto crackers or lettuce leaves as an appetizer for party guests.

• Avocado Shrimp Salad Open-Faced Sandwich

  Tired of same-old, same-old sandwiches for lunch? Go bold! This shrimp and avocado salad-wich is a delightful change of pace. It’s served on rustic rye bread, and layered with sizzling bacon, arugula, and slices of ripe avocado.

Make Your Own Shrimp and Avocado Salad

One of the best things about salads is that the possibilities are endless. You really only need two ingredients for a great avocado and shrimp salad—the rest is up to your imagination (and vegetable drawer).

Mix and match ingredients to make your very own salad recipe at the Avocado Salad Center, or scoot on over to our avocado salad recipe page.

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We’ve gathered our best vegan avocado recipes and assembled this collection of the most fantastic five. Each recipe is a delicious combo of fruits, veggies, grains, and greens that fit perfectly in a vegan lifestyle. And with flavors from all across the spectrum, there is something here for everyone.

To get started, learn the best ways to pick, store, and slice avocados. Then dive headfirst into this rainbow of color, flavor, and avocado.

Related: You won’t disappoint anyone, vegan or otherwise, with these plant-based guacamole recipes.

5 Vegan Avocado Recipes

• Avocado Rainbow Roll-Ups

  Perfect for packed lunches, snacks on the go, or appetizers at a get-together, these bite-sized pinwheels are the perfect way to eat the rainbow. Rich hummus is your spread, uniting crisp red cabbage, carrot, sweet bell pepper and creamy avocado in a blanket of flavor. It’s all wrapped snuggly inside a spinach tortilla — it looks almost too good to eat!

• Sicilian Citrus & Avocado Salad

  This is no ordinary salad — in fact, it’s extraordinary. Sweet, tangy blood orange complements the umami goodness of avocado while blending seamlessly with arugula and red onion. Finally, top it off with succulent pomegranate arils and crunchy, toasted pumpkin seeds. Orange you glad you discovered this vegan avocado recipe?

• Black Bean Lettuce Cups

  Simple and delicious, these cute lettuce cups taste like pure happ-bean-ness. An easily assembled dish, this recipe is inspired by Mexican American cuisine, featuring cilantro lime rice, sweet corn, smooth avocados, and black beans. Lettuce just say it’s an instant classic.

• Avocado Beet Salad

  Ideal for entertaining, this salad is as delicious as it is beautiful. Cubed avocado and beets are dressed to the nines and carried in on a leafy bed of lettuce. The best part: For minimal prep time, this recipe packs a mighty helping of flavor. You can’t beet that.

• Vegan Avocado Breakfast Tacos

  Let’s break it down: A spicy hot tofu and mushroom mix takes center stage on a corn tortilla. Along comes a spoonful of avocado salsa to top it all off. Whether you’re vegan or not, you have to admit that this recipe is something to taco ‘bout.

Looking for more fun with our favorite green fruit? Check out our extensive recipe page for more mealtime magic.

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If you’re looking to add more greens to your diet, preparing salads is the way to go. And to add even brighter greens and enrich your salad with nutrients, fiber, and good fats, accent your salad with a heart-healthy portion of avocados.

In collaboration with the American Heart Association (AHA), we created these heart-healthy avocado salad recipes. To be certified, a recipe must meet specific category-based qualitative and nutrient requirements. A nutrient analysis of each recipe is submitted for review including: calories, sodium, saturated fat, added sugars, trans fat, and omega-3 fatty acids (for fish entrees Plus, they’re all easy to prepare for any meal!

Before making changes to your diet, be sure to talk to your doctor about implementing heart-healthy salads into your diet.

6 Certified Heart-Healthy Salad Recipes

Farro Salad with Lemon & Fresh Dill Herbed Dressing

In this recipe, farro grains meet fresh herbs and lemon for a heart-healthy salad that can help keep you full and energized. The salad pairs arugula with goat cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts and is topped with a hearty avocado dressing.

Mixed Greens Salad with Avo Poppyseed Dressing

Lettuce, spinach, and avocados make up the greens of this salad and are tossed with a colorful blend of fresh fruits, pecans, and feta cheese. For some extra zing, drizzle your salad with avocado poppyseed dressing.

Avocado Tomato Basil Pasta Salad with Pesto Avocado Dressing

Made from a base of whole-wheat rotini pasta, protein-rich chickpeas, and avocado, this pasta salad uses the classic Italian combination of tomato and basil for a rich flavor. The addition of avocado and pesto dressing elevates this pasta salad to a whole new level.

Related: Looking for a snack-sized, heart-healthy recipe? These avocado and shrimp rafts are AHA certified and easy to prep!

Harvest Bowl Salad with Avo Balsamic Vinaigrette

This harvest bowl contains a medley of flavors that mingle together with a heart-healthy twist. The recipe calls for avocado, quinoa, arugula, kale, Brussels sprouts, and honey crisp apples, creating a tart, fresh salad bowl that will leave you satisfied.

Fruit Salad with Avo Coconut Lime Dressing

Avocados are a fruit, so why not include them in your fruit salad? This recipe mixes avocados with strawberries, mangos, blueberries, grapes, kiwi, mandarin oranges, bananas, and an avocado coconut lime dressing to satisfy your sweet tooth in a heart-healthy way.

Greek Goddess Salad on a Stick with Avo Mediterranean Greek Dressing

Forgo the salad bowl and opt for a skewer in this recipe. This delicious salad-on-a-stick features avocado, romaine, feta, cucumber, and olives. The finishing touch: a Mediterranean Greek dressing with an avocado base.

Pro Tip: After making some of these salads, you might find yourself with a leftover half of an avocado. Here’s how to store and preserve any extras.

Check out our recipe page for more delicious inspiration.

The post 6 Certified Heart-Healthy Salad Recipes Featuring Avocados appeared first on Avocados From Mexico.

A trip to the farmers market or a walk down the produce aisle are feasts for the senses this time of year. The colorful fruits and veggies piled high and toothpick-speared samples peppering the rows are enough to inspire any passerby to get creative in the kitchen, and one of the best ways to bring all those vibrant seasonal foods to the table is with a fresh spring salad.

Always in season, avocados are the perfect ingredient to start with. With nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, this superfood is a good source of fiber, which adds bulk to your diet and can help you feel full faster. That means that incorporating avocado into an overall healthy diet could help you control your hunger throughout the day and even help manage your weight.

Related: See what other nutrients avocados can bring to your table.

Spring is a prime opportunity to pair this cholesterol-free superfood with in-season fruits and vegetables like apples, kiwis, mushrooms, or radishes. These ingredients mingle well and offer versatility.

Try these five, spring avocado-salad recipes as a light lunch or a savory side dish.

Avocado-Salad Recipes to Put on the Menu This Spring

1. If You Heart Artichokes

Avocado, Artichoke Hearts, and Mushroom Salad With Parmesan Vinaigrette

Let this savory salad be the star of your next dinner party. Avocado, artichoke, and mushroom balance the heat from the toasted chiles de árbol.

2. For Tropical Taste buds

Avocado Pineapple Salad

This simple avocado-salad recipe packs a flavorful punch with juicy chunks of pineapple and smooth avocado scattered across a bed of romaine lettuce. It stands wonderfully on its own as a light lunch or pairs well with shrimp and avocado enchiladas in creamy red sauce for a heartier meal.

3. For a Kale Crunch

Crispy Kale Salad With Lemon-Lime Dressing

You’ll have to turn the oven on for this one, but it’s worth the extra step. Seasonal highlights in this salad include radishes, beets, and lemon juice. Garlic and jalapeño leave a flavorful impression.

4. If You Spring For Spinach

Fruit Spinach Salad

This sweet, crisp salad combines some of the season’s most anticipated fruits. Diced avocado complements red apple, kiwi, orange, and strawberry flavors.

5. To Sweeten the Deal

Superfood Green-and-Blue Avocado Salad with Avocado-Lime Dressing

Starring seasonal spring kale, this salad features blueberry, almond, and goat cheese flavors. An avocado-lime dressing with notes of mint and honey provides a slightly sweet accompaniment.

Avocado-salad recipes aren’t the only way to pair seasonal fruits and vegetables with our favorite green superfood. Avocados can be easily incorporated into a variety of recipes, but before changing your eating habits, talk to your doctor about healthy diets. He or she may suggest avocados in a list of healthy foods to help manage your weight.

Visit our recipe archive for more avocado meals.

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Salads can be so much more than a bowl of leafy greens! They’re irresistible when you put flavor, texture, and color in every bite!

Take a look at these incredible recipes I shared at a recent Twitter party on behalf of Avocados from Mexico (#AvoChat #AvocadoSalad). The ideas and recipes I tweeted will take your salads way beyond boring. There are side salads, main dish salads, salads rich with the array of crunchy vegetables and sweet fruits of Mexico, including, of course, the amazing avocado!

Avocado adds a nutritious kind of fat and a creamy goodness that helps salads hold together and gives dressing a decadence you’ll love!

Eating better is easy with the right recipes in hand. You may have missed the Twitter party, so here’s a recap! And don’t forget to check out the Salad Hub on the Avocados From Mexico site for more ideas.

Seafood Salads

Avocado blends easily with sweet crab, shrimp and surimi. Here are a couple of my favorite seafood salads.

• Crab, Avocado and Cashew Salad. This is a great alternative to your everyday chicken salad! Enjoy sweet crab, creamy avo and the crunch of cashews.
• Surimi and Avocado Salad with Jícama and Cucumber. This seafood-and-avo-combination works with crunchy jicama chopped matchstick-style, served over greens.

Fruit Salads

Don’t forget that avocado is a fruit and combines beautifully with other fruits.

• Morelia Style Gazpacho Fruit Salad with Avocado. In Mexico, we love to eat fresh fruit topped with lime and ground chile! And this Gazpacho salad with fruit hints at that delicious concept!
• Red Leaf Salad with Candied Pineapple, Spiced Pepitas and Avocado Dressing. I adore the sweetness of the candied pineapple and the crunch of the spiced pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, in this one!
• Watercress, Mango and Avocado Salad. Creamy avocado bridges the flavors between the slightly bitter watercress and sweet mango. And three cheers for watercress! It’s a wonderful, sometimes overlooked green that I find delightful.

Entrée Salads

• Wild Rice, Sweet Potato, Turkey and Avo Salad. This one’s great around the holidays, when you can use leftover turkey and sweet potato to put it together with ease.
• Cannellini, Roasted Squash and Avo Salad. This hearty salad makes a great lunch or simple supper. And it holds together beautifully in your fridge for days!

Great Dressings

Salad dressings can work in many ways!

• Lime-Honey Vinaigrette. The dressing for my Tri-Color Salad also works well with chicken and more!
• Pico de Guac. This topper mixes tart tomatillos and green apples with a little heat—mellowed by creamy avo! Perfect for adding a little something to chicken dishes or greens.
• Avo Dressing. This is positively decadent! It’s part of the recipe for my Boston Lettuce Salad, but I use it on sandwiches, wraps, and more.
• Pumpkin Seed Dressing. I use this one in Chayote Salad with Avocado but for drizzling on other things, as well.
• Parmesan Vinaigrette. You’ll find this pairs perfectly with the Artichoke Hearts and Mushroom Salad, but it’s delicious over chicken and potatoes, too!
• Ancho Chile Vinaigrette. I refer to this as candy because it has a sweet-and-spicy flavor that’s addicting!
• Everyday Green Salad This is a go-to salad in my house, and the dressing just gets better and better when you store it in the fridge. The sliced red onions pickle in the vinaigrette, adding tang and crunch whenever you use it

Handheld “Salads”

Finally, not all salads are eaten in a bowl. The same ingredients on a skewer or in a warm tortilla offer nutrition on the go.

• Veggie tacos. My Calabacitas and Avocado To-Go Tacos are great to pack up and take with you!
• Avo Hummus. This blend of avo and garbanzo beans offers a savory combination. Try it with pita chips or veggies!
• Avocado, Mozzarella and Tomato Skewers. Serve these as an appetizer or snack with Balsamic Dipping Sauce.

Before you make any of these recipes with avocados, learn how to choose a ripe one. You also need to know how to ripen them in a hurry: sunlight can help, or put them inside a bag with rice.

It’s easy to plan for eating more nutritious food with the Salad Hub from Avocados From Mexico!

The post Spectacular Avocado Salad Recipes for Spring and Beyond appeared first on Avocados From Mexico.

Who said fruit salad can't be savory? Summer means a plethora of delicious, seasonal fruit, and one great way to balance all of that natural sugar is with a savory summer salad featuring watermelon and avocado. A little lime juice brightens up the flavors, while a sprinkle of Tajín seasoning adds a little heat. Pepitas add some crunch and texture and cotija cheese gives the salad a salty, savory edge. The result? A salad that hits all the right notes: savory, sweet, and crunchy. It's a perfectly refreshing snack or side dish for a summer pool party or family barbecue.

Since the bulk of this salad is fresh fruit, knowing how to pick ripe fruit is essential. For watermelon, you want to choose one that sounds hollow when it is tapped, feels heavy, and has a yellow field spot (where it rested on the ground). If the spot is white, it's not ripe. For avocados, gently press your thumb into an avocado's skin. If it yields slightly, it's perfectly ripe. If it makes a large indentation, it might be too ripe.

If all you can find are hard avocados (which are unripe), store them for a few days in a paper bag with a banana to help it ripen faster. Once ripe, you'll want to slice the avocado in half by running a knife around the outside of the avocado (the pit in the center will tell you when you've inserted it far enough). Use a spoon to remove the pit, then make vertical and horizontal cuts in the avocado, taking care not to slice through the skin. A spoon helps you pop out the pieces of avo, and then you're ready to go!

The Tajín is optional, and the watermelon can easily be replaced with another type of melon (cantaloupe or honeydew would also be tasty). If you don't have Tajín on hand, you can sprinkle a little coarse sea salt and your favorite chile powder.

Watermelon Avocado Salad (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

• 1 whole watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 ripe avocados, cut in 1-inch chunks
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 2 tablespoons salted pepitas
• 2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Tajín to taste OR salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl, tossing gently so the avocado doesn't bruise.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice with the olive oil.
3. Pour the dressing onto the salad and then sprinkle Tajín or salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or chill for up to two hours.

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Summer salads: YUM.

When the thermometer hits those dizzy summer highs, nobody wants to be stuck indoors cooking, much less turning on the oven. Combine that with the urge to quickly pull something together that's tasty and portable, and you've pretty much defined the summer salad.

You've probably made most of the classics — potato, egg, tuna, chicken — you name it, they're there, with their assortment of veggies and dollops of mayo. If you're looking to change them up a bit, here are some recipes that will let you keep the creamy while adding a subtle new flavor to your salad repertoire.

Magnificent Morning Pick-me-up

Egg salad is quite possibly one of the quickest, most delicious starts you can make to your day. Simply boil some eggs (which you can do the night before to save even more time) and then peel and chop them. Grab an avocado, cut it open, and mash the delicious flesh with some salt and a squeeze of lemon. Chop the eggs and stir them in, and there you have it — a protein-packed, portable breakfast (or lunch). Top off your favorite whole-grain toast with a helping of the green-hued goodness for a fabulous flavor explosion.

Perfect Potato Salad

Potato salad is one of those summer classics; it has to be in your picnic rotation! But if you're keen to try potato salad with a twist, adding avocado may be just the thing. First, roast your potatoes with a healthy sprinkling of herbs, and then let them cool. They'll be easier to transport (and eat!) while keeping some of that caramelized post-roasting goodness. While they're cooling, make your avocado-based dressing using lime, cilantro, salt, pepper and, of course, mashed avocados. Then add your cooled roasted potatoes and toss. The salad will be perfect as is, but if you want a bit of crunch, crisp some bacon and sprinkle the homemade bacon bits on top. Chopped fresh cilantro or other herbs can be used for a gorgeous green garnish.

Tuna Time – Like Never Before

Combining textures and flavors is the best way to keep things interesting in the kitchen, so try this recipe when you're ready to switch up your tuna salad recipe. Chop two stalks of celery and two dill pickles, adding these to half of an apple (diced) and a tin of tuna. Add some creamy zing with 1 tablespoon of grainy mustard and half of an avocado that you've mashed. Stir and use it as a topping for toast or some crisp romaine leaves. The tang of the mustard and pickles is balanced by the gentle sweetness of the apple and the freshness of celery, with the avocado lending just enough creaminess to make the tuna deliciously spreadable.

The post Replace Popular Spreads with Avocado in These Summer Salads appeared first on Avocados From Mexico.

Salads aren’t just for warm weather dining. The tastes of winter — warming spices, glazed or candied nuts, veggies like Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower, and apples in their various forms — all contribute to delicious, cold-weather dishes that delight the palate. Add Avocados From Mexico, which are available year-round, and you’ve got a crop of winter-worthy salads!

Coleslaw and Crispy Cruciferous Veggies

Coleslaw might seem like a summer-only dish, the ever-present food at a backyard BBQ, but guess what? It’s dependable when it comes to winter meal duty, too. If you haven’t tried a cruciferous veggie slaw, you’ll soon have it in heavy rotation on your winter menu. Slice raw Brussels sprouts finely, along with broccoli, and mix with grated carrot, thin apple slices, and a maple vinaigrette for a refreshing side to any roasted or braised meat. Add a few dry-roasted walnut halves to the salad for textural interest.

You can also disassemble the sprouts and toss them in olive oil, salt, and pepper before placing them in a baking pan and crisping them up in a hot oven — it’ll only take about 10 minutes to crisp up. Brussels sprout chips are an instant party snack, and on a salad, they’re a perfect substitute for croutons.

Hot Salads

Who says salads have to be cold? You can create a base layer of greens like peppery arugula and watercress before topping them with just-grilled slices of your favorite sausage or steak. Finish by garnishing the salad with fresh citrus segments and roasted red peppers, zucchini, or wedges of your favorite squash. If you’re feeding vegetarians, you can skip the meats and substitute a creamy goat’s cheese, as well as a roasted, diced sweet potato accented with cayenne, cinnamon, or nutmeg. Here’s another option: Keep your salad cool, but add a warm vinaigrette, such as this one featuring bacon, drizzling it over avocado slices adorning the top of the salad.

Grain-based Salads

Dried fruits have a special place on winter menus. They add just enough sweetness to most any dish, while providing a hit of jewel-toned color. A quinoa salad tossed with dried cherries, cranberries, toasted almond pieces, and pumpkin seeds (also sold in the supermarket as “pepitas”) sets the stage for a beautiful herb-based vinaigrette. If you prefer something a little more toothsome, try a salad made with wheat berries, farro, or amaranth, a grain that’s native to Mexico. Orzo, the “rice of pasta”, can get dressed up for any winter meal with the addition of diced, roasted beets, feta cheese, hand-torn greens, avocado slices, and pomegranate seeds.

Hearty Greens

Winter salads get their heft from greens that have hearty leaves, like kale and collards. Massage the leaves of your favorite green with a splash of olive oil to soften them up prior to dressing them with a vegan vinaigrette your family and friends will swear contains dairy. The secret is to blend some garlic or shallot in with the creamy goodness of Avocados From Mexico, along with salt, pepper, a bit more olive oil, and lemon juice. Toss in some pine nuts or sunflower seeds, clementine or orange segments, cucumber spears, and grated carrot into your salad. Only you will know the secret ingredient in the creamy dressing!

No matter what your preference, it’s always a good idea to balance out your salad by thinking of the various textures you’d like to eat: creamy, soft, crispy, and crunchy, for example. The same applies to flavors. Adding a squeeze of fresh citrus or some other acidic element, like vinegar, will ensure you don’t have an overly-sweet salad that might not pair with the rest of dinner.

Need more salad ideas? Visit the Avocados From Mexico website for plenty of recipes to keep you cooking all winter!

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Put away the bottles of salad dressings, roll up your sleeves, and get ready to be creative! You're about to experiment with salad, one of the easiest, most versatile dishes you can make, regardless of your culinary skills! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Sunny Citrus-Based Salads

Salad = greens, right? True, lettuces and other leafy greens are the traditional base of many salads, but sometimes, it's nice to inject bright, sunny notes into the salad-making routine. When it's gray outside, bring Spain into your kitchen with this salad: Start with blood or navel oranges, which you should peel and slice into thin rounds. Arrange the orange slices on a plate and top with thinly-sliced red onions, avocado slices, a scattering of pistachio nuts or almond slivers, and re-hydrated raisins (a handful of raisins plumped up in a 10-minute hot water bath — leave the water behind once the raisins are hydrated). Finish it off with salt, pepper, chopped parsley, Sherry vinegar, and a good, Spanish olive oil. Not feeling the oranges? Try grapefruit and add mint for another fresh and fabulous combination. If you're so inclined, go ahead and add a grilled protein like duck or turkey to your salad.

A Favorite for Seafood Fans

We know, avocado and crab or avocado and shrimp are a marriage made in food heaven. You can hollow out half an avocado and save the peel to present your "boat" of seafood-laden goodness. We like to start with gently steamed Argentinean shrimp (they taste like lobster!) if you can find them, or spot prawns. Toss with some lime juice and zest, Greek yogurt, mashed avocado, finely diced celery and shallots, freshly grated pepper, a pinch of cayenne pepper and minced parsley. Fill your "boat" back up, top with some fine slivers of avocado and a chiffonade (thin strips) of tarragon, and serve immediately.

If you prefer diced, steamed lobster tails, crab meat, cooked scallops, or even grilled calamari, go for it! Switch out the parsley for your favorite fresh herb (basil, tarragon, or chives are all delicious choices), and add a dollop of light sour cream.

Want to skip the dairy? No problem! Take a cue from Toronto's The Carbon Bar and make a citrusy, fresh wild shrimp ceviche (sushi-grade, citrus-marinated, raw, diced fish), with Serrano peppers, tomatillos, diced avocado, a tomato-based salsa, and coriander. It's a big hit!

Play with Your Greens

Looking for a meaty salad that's vegan? Here's the ticket: Take a big bunch of de-stemmed kale that's been chopped and sprinkled with a little sea salt. Massage the kale for a few minutes until soft, and place the leaves in a salad bowl. Toss in one carrot (cut into matchsticks) , a diced cucumber, red onion, and red pepper. Make a dressing of avocado (about half of one), lemon juice, and olive oil: stir to combine well or give it a quick blitz in your blender. Tahini can be added for a richer, deeper flavor. Add freshly cracked black pepper to your dressing, pour it over the salad, and toss to combine. Want more? Add cooked chickpeas, white beans, or lentils before tossing and serving. And you can cube the rest of your avocado and toss that in too, while you're at it! Who needs steak?

Looking for more inspiration? Check out this selection of avocado-based salads!

The post Adding Even More Green to Your Salad: How to Make Amazing Avocado Salads appeared first on Avocados From Mexico.

This salad has a fascinating combination of textures and flavors. The beets, with their sweet and hard bite, contrast the smooth, mildly nutty and creamy bite of the avocado. The orange powered creamy dressing, which uses both the zest and the juice, marries both ingredients beautifully. It is so tasty, I sometimes feel like eating it on its own! The crumbled tangy and lightly salty queso fresco and crisp walnuts make it a show-stopping ensemble.
It is a colorful and very elegant salad that makes for a stunning first course.

Tip: You can make the creamy dressing ahead of time, as well as cook the beets ahead. Assemble right before eating.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound beets
• 1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, meat scooped out, cut into bite size pieces of about 1”
• ¼ cup Mexican crema, or Latin style cream, Crème fraiche or sour cream
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of kosher or sea salt, add more to taste
• Zest of an orange
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco (or substitute farmer’s cheese, goat cheese or a mild feta)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

To Prepare

Cut off greens and most of the stems from the beets, leaving about 1-inch. Don’t scrub or peel the beets. Rinse them off, place them in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium low to keep at a gentle simmer and cook until tender, for about 30 minutes. Drain. Once cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut into bite-sized pieces of about 1-inch.

In a medium bowl, combine the Mexican crema with the salt and pepper.
In a small saucepan, pour the orange juice along with the apple cider vinegar, the honey and orange zest. Place over medium-high heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Liquid should have reduced to about 1/3 of a cup. Pour into the crema mixture and combine.

Divide the beets and avocado pieces in salad plates. Drizzle orange cream dressing all over the top. Garnish with the walnuts, queso fresco and chives.

The post Delicious Beet, Avocado, Queso Fresco and Walnut Salad appeared first on Avocados From Mexico.

Avocados from Mexico have just 50 calories per serving, contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals and just 1 gram of sugar. A 1-ounce serving of avocados contains 81 micrograms of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. Lutein and zeaxanthin are plant pigments found in the macula of the eye, and research suggests that they may help maintain eye health as we age. That is a lot of goodness in a pretty little green package! For me though, it really all comes down to taste, and avocados are one of our favorite flavors, like in this Cucumber & Avocado Salad w/ Feta that we have been enjoying the last few months. You can have it on the table in no time at all, there are never any leftovers to worry about!

Because they require virtually no prep time, Avocados from Mexico are the perfect ingredient for all kinds of salads. When we are invited over for dinner with friends, I always ask what I can bring along, and often that is a salad. Even when I get in a hurry, and a simple tossed salad is my only option, avocados make it seem more special, not to mention more delicious. Try tossing cubed avocados with your vinaigrette, and then adding to the salad right before serving ­the vinaigrette will preserve the bright fresh flavor and the combination will be amazing with any variety of greens and other veggies.

Finally, doesn't matter if you will be home with just the family, or if you are going to make something to share with friends at a party ­Avocados from Mexico are the perfect place to start your next great meal!

The post Cucumber and Avocado Salad with Feta appeared first on Avocados From Mexico.

The options for making an avocado salad are endless, but do you ever find yourself turning to the same familiar mix again and again?

I have one that will get you out of that rut with this Beet, Avocado, Queso Fresco and Walnut Salad. It has a fascinating combo of flavors and textures that will surely impress your dinner guests! The al dente bite of the beets contrast the smooth Avocados from Mexico, and a creamy, zesty orange dressing marries it all beautifully. I show you how it comes together in my video.

To see more of my tips and recipes, click and visit my corner.

About Pati Jinich

Jinich is a cooking teacher, food writer and chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D. C. She hosts a public television series broadcast nationwide called Pati's Mexican Table now on its Fourth Season. She released her first cookbook called Pati's Mexican Table in March 2013. Her next cookbook will hit the stands April 2016.

Born and raised in Mexico City, she enjoys focusing her culinary expertise on bringing the diversity of tastes and foods that her Mexican homeland loves, to the masses in the US and around the world. She absolutely loves to use Avocados From Mexico in nutritious and flavorful recipes for her husband and three boys.

The post Impress your Dinner Guests with a Creative Avocado Salad! appeared first on Avocados From Mexico.

You’re probably already using chunks or slices of creamy avocados as an ingredient in your salads. But have you tried making a dressing with avocados yet?

Making your own dressing with avocado is a great way to use items that you may already have on hand. Not only will your salads taste super delicious, they’ll add a nutritious layer, too. ¡Gracias, aguacate!

Homemade salad dressings made with avocado will still taste and feel creamy, thanks to their good fats like 1 gram polyunsaturated and 5 grams monounsaturated fats.

Taste alone is a great reason to make a dressing with avocado, but added nutrition is another. Avocados contain 3g of fiber per 1/3 medium avocado (50g) serving and they deliver nearly 20 vitamins and minerals.

Grab one of your Avocados from Mexico and whip up one of these three delicious dressings for your next salad.

Avocado cilantro pesto vinaigrette

• 1 1/2 tsp. honey
• 4 oz. ripe, Hass avocado, peeled and diced
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 1/4 tsp. shallots, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, roasted and minced
• 3/4 cup cilantro, fresh, shopped
• 3/4 jalapeño, seeded and diced, (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

To make this recipe, place the honey, avocado, olive oil, water, and lime juice into a blender and pulse. Add the shallots, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeño and puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

Spicy avocado Greek yogurt dressing

• 1 Hass avocado
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp. hot sauce
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tsp. salt

For this recipe, simply mix together all ingredients and serve over salad greens of your choice.

Honey lemon avocado dressing

• 1 Hass avocado
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Finish this recipe by combining all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

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