Salads are one of my favorite side dishes to add to my holiday table. They help bring an element of lightness among all of the delicious desserts and comfort-food-dishes, and with the right combination of ingredients – they can be super tasty and filling too!
Chopped salads are awesome, because all of the ingredients end up being roughly the same size and you can throw just about anything in there and it will taste great. This particular salad has creamy avocado, crunchy pumpkin seeds, spicy jalapeño, and instead of tomatoes – we’re changing it up and adding in grapes!
Grapes are in season in the winter (California Grapes are available through January) so they are a much more seasonal ingredient to add to this dish (vs. tomatoes – which are best in the summer). I love the unexpected punch of sweetness they add to this dish!
Today’s recipe comes from my friend, registered dietitian, and weight loss expert, Heather K. Jones.
The Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Salad
- 3 cups red seedless California grapes, halved
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese (optional)
The Directions
There are only two steps!
Step 1: To prepare the dressing: Whisk together the oil, lime juice, honey, and salt in a large bowl.
Step 2: To prepare the salad: Stir the grapes, cilantro, jalapeño, and green onions into the dressing. Add the avocado and stir again lightly. Sprinkle the top with the pumpkin seeds and cheese, if desired.
This recipe makes 6 huge servings, but each serving has less than 130 calories!
That’s not surprising considering that 3/4 cup of grapes has only 90 calories, no fat and no cholesterol; contains potassium and vitamin K, and has beneficial antioxidants that may contribute to a healthy heart.
Now that’s a salad I can get behind.
Print California Grape and Avocado SaladTotal Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Calories per serving: 127 Calories
Fat per serving: 8g
Nutritional Info Per Serving (with cheese): 127 Calories, 8g Fat, 14g Carbs, 153mg Sodium, 2g Protein, 1g Fiber
Ingredients
- Dressing
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt Salad
- 3 cups red seedless California grapes, halved
- 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese (optional)
Directions
- To prepare the dressing: Whisk together the oil, lime juice, honey, and salt in a large bowl.
- To prepare the salad: Stir the grapes, cilantro, jalapeño, and green onions into the dressing. Add the avocado and stir again lightly. Sprinkle the top with the pumpkin seeds and cheese, if desired.
Notes
Recipe from Heather K. Jones
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://pickyeaterblog.com/california-grape-and-avocado-salad/Recipe by: The Picky Eater, pickyeaterblog.comAnjali Shah
