Shrimp salad with avocado and radish sprouts

I came across something beautiful in the grocery store that I had never seen before – radish sprouts.   Easily overlooked amidst the bigger and bolder green vegetables, these lovely delicate young shoots from the daikon radish remind me of the shamrock clover.   Growing happily together in high concentrations (each determined to be the tallest) a fresh bunch will surely cheer your soul! 

If you love spicy radishes, you’ll love radish sprouts.  Their bright green heart-shaped leaves look innocent enough, but they pack a fair amount of spice – enough to clear the sinuses!   They house a significant amount of Vitamins C, B6 and A due to the fact that they are germinating seeds.   Potassium is abundant, and in 5 - 6 days of rapid-fire growth the sprouts can reach 8 inches.    Since a sprout is the beginning of a larger vegetable, higher levels of enzymes and photochemical compounds are present within their small bodies.   The are therefore considered by many to be a ‘miracle food’.  

Sprouts can be grown year round with little attention.  Too delicate to be cooked, they are a brilliant addition to salads and sandwiches, wraps and spring rolls.  

Bright green leaves 

The tender roots barely take hold of the moist medium underneath, as lanky stems support leaf tops. 

Shrimp, avocado and radish sprout salad

Serves 4 as a first course

12 Jumbo shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 cup boiled, diced potato

½ red pepper, diced

1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced

½ cup radish sprouts

marinade and dressing (below)

a few long chive leaves or 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Marinade (and dressing)

1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

¼ cup tightly packed radish sprouts

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon sugar

salt, to taste

For the marinade and dressing:

Place all ingredients in a small food processor and blend until sprouts are finely chopped and the mixture comes together.  Place shrimp in a medium bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons of the sprout mixture to the shrimp.  Marinate shrimp for about 20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Set aside the left over mixture to be used as a dressing.

Marinate the shrimp first

Grill or broil shrimp until cooked tender, about 3 minutes on each side.  Discard shrimp marinade. 

You can either layer the salad in martini glasses, or in individual bowls.  Layer as follows.

Bottom to top: diced potatoes, diced red pepper, a little dressing, shrimp, fresh sprouts, avocado, more dressing.  Stick the chive leaves in for a dramatic presentation or chop them up and sprinkle on top of the salad.

Prijatno!

Avocado and poblano pepper omelette

Everyone knows that I’m a huge fan of avocados, so much so that I have even experimented with it in a cheesecake!  Sunny South Africa, where I spent my formative years, was abundant with many varieties of fruits and vegetables and amongst them was the wonderful avocado.   My parents, young immigrants from the former Yugoslavia, had never seen an avocado, paw paw (papaya), granadilla (passion fruit) or guava before and gradually incorporated these nutritious and heavenly fruits into our diets (mom’s fruit salads were always the best!).  My father, upon his first taste of the avocado, deemed it needed salt and pepper, and from then on, my mother made sandwiches with mashed avocado, salt and pepper and they were simple but very tasty.  A wholesome food such as the avocado doesn’t need much primping, according to mama!  I still enjoy these sandwiches and the memories they evoke.

A long time staple of the middle Americas (earliest evidence of it is from 10,000 BC!), the avocado tree is native to the tropics.  The mild-flavored flesh is almost always consumed raw in salsas, dips and salads.   High in monosaturated fats (the best kind) and potassium (the mineral that keeps those pesky leg cramps at bay!), the avocado is also a factor in reducing cholesterol and consistently appears at the top of many healthy food lists. 

I try to incorporate it in our salads, sandwiches, tacos and another salad, and now, in a delicious omelette.  The buttery, rich texture of the avocado lends itself well to this preparation.  As it warms, its subtle flavor and creamy texture contrast with its surroundings -  bold onions, sweet red peppers and spicy poblano.  I highly recommend it!

The headliners…chopped cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, red pepper, poblano pepper, green onions and avocado:

Sauté the vegetables in a pan.  When they are starting to soften, pour the beaten eggs over them and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste

Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, push the egg mixture from the edges inward and tilt the pan so that the runny raw egg from the middle falls onto the pan and starts to cook.  Cover half of the egg mixture with the cheese of your choice and the avocados, and then flip the exposed end over to enclose them. 

Avocado omelette

For 2 very generous portions (we like our eggs, what can I say!)

¼ red onion, chopped finely

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely

1/3 red bell pepper, chopped finely

1 green onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped cilantro

4 eggs, beaten

salt and pepper, to taste

½ avocado, seeded, peeled and cubed

2 slices provolone cheese, mozzarella, feta, chevre, cream cheese, or whatever cheese you fancy that would melt quickly

Have all of the above ingredients prepared before you begin to cook the omelette.  Over medium heat, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan.  Add the onion, jalapeno, red bell and sauté for about 3 minutes.  Add the green onions and  cilantro and cook for about 2 more minutes.  Spread the vegetables out evenly in the pan. 

Pour the beaten eggs over the vegetables evenly.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Let eggs cook for about a minute or two (the edges will be cooked but the top will still be raw).  Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, push the egg mixture from the edges inward and tilt the pan so that the runny raw egg from the middle falls onto the pan and starts to cook.  Cover half of the egg mixture with the cheese of your choice and the avocados, and then flip the exposed end over to enclose them.  Remove from heat and cover with a lid.  Allow to sit for about 5 minutes so that the cheese melts and the avocado warms. 

Crispy egg, spicy peppers, gooey cheese and warm avocado makes for a delicious breakfast!

Prijatno!

Chicken salad with the flavors of Mexico

This chicken salad was inspired by the purchase of a good-looking jicama!   Firm to the touch and tight-skinned, it was perfect for the taking and going to shine in a Mexican flavored salad I was already composing in my mind.   Delicious raw or cooked, its crunchy white flesh has the texture of a firm pear.  Slightly sweet on the tongue, the flavor hints of apple and pear.   

The jicama (hick-u-ma) is the root of a legume that is related to the potato and is easily found in Texas stores.  In Mexico and further south it is commonly served by street vendors with a little lime juice and a dusting of chili powder.  When cut into wide strips it can be a healthy replacement for chips – a means to scoop up a guacamole or salsa.  In my chicken salad, it adds a mildly sweet crunch and replaces celery handily. 

 

Composed mostly of water and very high in fiber and vitamin C, it’s the perfect diet food.  Look for jicama that are hard with tight, dry skins; a flattened ball shape, few bruises and no mold.  Pick the smaller ones (1.5lbs – 2.5lbs) as the larger they get, the higher the chance are of them tasting woody.  

Chicken salad with the flavors of Mexico

Serves 4

The marinade:

¼ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup oil (I used olive oil)

½ teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 chicken breasts

The dressing:

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

The veggies:

1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced; or left raw, seeded and diced

1 4-oz jar pimento peppers, drained

½ red onion, finely chopped

¼ cup green olives, sliced

1 cup jicama, peeled and diced

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

1 fresh jalapeno or 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno, chopped, optional – for added spice

1 avocado, peeled and cut into cubes

lettuce leaves or toasted bread for sandwiches

Mix marinade ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Add chicken breasts and marinate for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350F. Transfer chicken to a roasting pan, cover with and roast for 30 minutes or until cooked. Cool and then chop into bite-sized pieces.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until combined.

Place chicken, poblano pepper, pimento peppers, red onion, green olives, jicama, cilantro and jalapeno (if desired). Add dressing and mix gently with a large spoon. Top with avocado and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves or in a sandwich.

My friend, Debbie, and I enjoyed ours on a bed of lettuce leaves while my nephew, Jovan, loved his sandwiched between buttermilk bread. 

Prijatno!

Fish tacos with spicy pineapple salsa and red cabbage slaw

Favorite son, Alex and his lovely girlfriend, Alyssa are quite an accomplished young couple.  Both will be graduating from a reputable university in May with degrees in Chemical Engineering and a B.A. and Masters in Accounting respectively, and Husbie and I will finally get a raise…whoop!  I recently received a text from Alex asking me that if they opened a cafe, would I ‘pastry chef it up?’  My initial response was absolutely, but first go and earn some money in the field that you have been studying for the past five years and then we’ll talk! 

The ‘kids’ are fast becoming very skilled in the kitchen that I step aside and watch in amazement and burst with pride as they pickle vegetables, brew beer, make mayonnaise from scratch, grill burgers with blue cheese sauce, make gyros and much more.   I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised since it’s sort of written in their genes!  Alyssa hails from a Louisiana family that takes it’s food very seriously.  Her mother, Rhonda is an excellent cook who can stuff a shrimp like no one’s business and make a hearty chicken and sausage gumbo that’ll make you want to slap ya’ mama!  I have never resorted to fast food as a means of sustenance for my precious children and am happy to see that their philosophy of eating includes an appreciation and respect for fresh ingredients that not only nourish the body, but also provide a healthy avenue for creativity.

Alex’s interest in ethnic cuisines began in a Cuban restaurant.  At the age of two, Husbie and I watched in amazement as he polished off a bowl of spicy Cuban salsa without a flinch of an eye!  In junior high, he experimented with salsa concoctions and loved to share them with his classmates.  One such salsa was so spicy that it managed to agitate the entrails of an intrepid classmate that he had to leave class and go home; I sincerely hope he hasn’t been scarred for life!

Here’s a meal that Alex and Alyssa treated us to recently.  Inspired by Rhonda’s recipe, these fish tacos are easy to prepare and include a sunny tropical salsa, crunchy red slaw, buttery avocado slices and delicate tilapia.

Fish tacos with spicy pineapple salsa and red cabbage slaw  Serves 4

8 corn tortillas, warmed. I found very good yellow corn and wheat flour blend tortillas from La Tortilla Factory in Santa Rosa, California. They didn’t crack when folded as many corn-only tortillas do. They are available at Kroger grocery stores (one of the few good things I can chime about that comes from this chain. Living in the ‘burbs comes with its own challenges, one of them being the lack of great stores!)

Red cabbage slaw (see recipe below)

Spicy pineapple salsa (see recipe below)

1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and sliced

4 pieces of tilapia, or other mild white fish

Coat tilapia in a little oil.  Season with salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne, to taste.  Just before you are ready to eat, broil the tilapia for about 8 minutes until just cooked.

Serve tilapia with warmed tortillas, pineapple salsa, avocado slices and red cabbage slaw.

Red cabbage slaw

½ red cabbage, finely sliced

1 cup cilantro leaves

1/3 red onion, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

2 tablespoons canola oil

Place sliced cabbage, cilantro leaves and sliced red onion in a large bowl. Mix vinegar, honey and lime juice in a small bowl.  While whisking quickly, add canola oil to vinegar mixture.  Add to coleslaw and mix thoroughly.

Spicy pineapple salsa – this recipe calls for more than you’ll need for the tacos.  The rest makes a refreshing tropical dip when served with tortilla chips.

1 large can (20 oz) crushed pineapple in its own juice

1 cup cilantro leaves, lightly packed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

hot sauce, to taste.  Alex loves Sriracha brand to spice things up. 

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend.

 

This post was submitted to Susan’s informative blog Yeastspotting for this week’s edition.

Prijatno!

Sweet avocado cheesecake with mango and citrus ‘salsa’

Sounds weird, I know!

1. I had half a dozen ripe avocados staring at me from the fruit basket and

2. I had a Daring Bakers Challenge to do. The challenge was to make a cheesecake and a basic recipe was posted with instructions to make it ‘unique’ and get creative with flavors and presentation.

Put these two entities together and what do you get? Sweet Avocado Cheesecake!

I remembered an avocado cheesecake a couple of years ago at the innovative Cafe Red Onion, a Latin fusion restaurant. It was delicious. Avocados, being neutral in flavor, lend themselves to savory or sweet renditions. I believed that the velvetiness would enhance the creamy texture of my cheesecake. I would add lots of lime juice in an attempt to keep the color fresh. I was so excited about the idea I began baking right away.

The verdict: I liked it! My neighbor, Carolina loved it! She couldn’t detect the taste of avocado at all. Her daughter thought it was a pretty good lime cheesecake. Husbie wouldn’t go near it! And my sister and her family expressed a distinct dislike for the texture and color. Thanks, Ve and co. for your honesty! My friend Alma did not care for it. Her charming son, Joey, thought it was ‘interesting’ but liked it! And her husband John… haven’t heard back from him yet!

So, I’d say it’s a clear winner!!! I guess it’s not for everyone!

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge. You can click on her site to find the original recipe. Thanks to Jenny and the founders of the Daring Bakers, Lis and Ivonne for keeping the ‘daring’ in over a thousand bakers all over the world!

I modified Abbey’s Infamous Cheesecake a little so that I could incorporate the avocados and lime juice. Next time I make it (yes, there will be a next time), I will use one avocado less so that the cheesecake is a more pleasing color. Some people just couldn’t handle it! The mango and citrus ‘salsa’ is sweet and tart and is a nice contrast to the creaminess of the cheesecake.

Sweet avocado cheesecake with mango and citrus ‘salsa’ Make the cheesecake the day you plan to serve it because it needs to chill overnight. The ‘salsa’ should be made the day of serving (see instructions below).

• Almond Crust
• 1/4 cup almonds
• 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted

Put almonds in processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter and pulse until blended but still crumbly. Pat into the bottom and a little up the sides of a 9” springform baking pan (I made two small cakes – one 5” round, and one 6 1/4” round). Set aside.

• Cheesecake batter
• 2 packages cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2-3 (I’d go with 2) ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
• zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon rum
• pinch of salt

Prepare a water bath by half filling a shallow roasting pan with very hot water. Place the pan on the lowest rack in the oven. Place another rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

In a mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time until all are incorporated.

Place avocados in a food processor. Blend until very smooth. Add zest, lime juice, sour cream, rum and salt. Blend well.

Add avocado mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend on low speed until well blended. Pour into cake pan. Place pan on middle rack in oven. If you’re using a 9” pan, bake for 45 minutes than check to see if it set but still a little ‘jiggly’ in the middle after you bump the pan a little.

Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack. Chill overnight.

• Avocado ‘Salsa’
• You can make the salsa without the avocado ahead of time. Peel and cut avocado not too long before you plan to serve it so that it doesn’t discolor.
• 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 orange, peeled and segmented then cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
• 1/2 grapefruit, peeled and segmented then cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 mango, peeled, flesh cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest

Combine avocado and lime juice in medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Place fruit mixture in a sieve and drain juices off before decorating cheesecake.

Prijatno!

Twittering and a blue cheese dressing

It all began with the chirping of chimney swifts in the chimney during the storm last night, and a cacophony of mocking birds twittering at the crack of dawn this morning.  I should be complimentary to my feathered friends because they did make pretty music, but I wasn’t quite ready to emerge from my sweet slumber!  The twittering must have been a sign…

I don’t have a picture of my outdoor twitters, but here’s a cutie from my Delft jar:

Later this morning, I read my dear neighbor Carolina’s blog.  Her remarkable husband, Gabe, was her guest blogger.  I’m not complimenting him only because he helps me with my computer issues;  he is also very smart and a wonderful husband and father.  After reading his entertaining post about the dubious cuisine of Nigeria (he works there on rotation), I followed a link to his blog and before I knew it, I became a Twitterer  -  not to be confused with Twit, OK?!    

Twittering is taking over as the new form of social communication.  Snippets (140 characters or less) of information are sent by the ‘twitter’ to followers in the cyber world and if the service is also connected to their cell phones, it’s transferred immediately.  Oprah has over half a million followers!  President Obama ‘twittered’ during the campaign and Lance Armstrong ‘tweets’ several times a day.  One of NASA’s astronauts will tweet about his training for an upcoming mission.  No news on whether he will be tweeting from space, though.  Time Magazine and CNN tweet to thousands of followers about news updates as they occur.   As you can see, the possibilities are endless!

On to the subject of food!  A couple of days ago I made a delicious blue cheese dressing and served it on a wedge of iceberg lettuce.  The ‘wedge’ salad has been all the rage the last few years, but I could barely finish it – the iceberg was tasteless and watery and simply not worthy of the blue cheese.  Perhaps the lowly iceberg’s role should remain a supporting one:  to complement the spice in chalupas and tacos, and add crunch and balance to a salty BLT  (in my most humble opinion, of course).

Yesterday, I composed a salad worthy of the remainder of the blue cheese dressing: curly red tip lettuce, avocado slices, hickory smoked bacon, and slices of ripe, juicy pears and radishes.  All of that was topped with snipped chives and freshly ground pepper. 

The dressing is thick, so I suggest you leave some moisture on the lettuce after you rinse it.  That way, when you toss the salad, the consistency will be perfect.  The pictures were taken before I tossed the salad, hence the mounds of dressing.  It would be great as a dip for veggies and crackers as well.

Blue Cheese Dressing from The Best American Recipes 2003-2004

1/2 cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup crumbled blue cheese 

Stir mayonnaise and sour cream together.  Add Worcestershire sauce and blue cheese. Use a fork to mash the blue cheese to blend it in, leaving some chunks.  Keep refrigerated until use.

All a-twitter,

Prijatno!

PLTA! Pancetta, lettuce and tomato sandwich with avocado

My wonderful nephew, Stefan, dropped by for a visit last week just as I was about to grab a snack.  I don’t usually make lunch because I’m a grazer during the day, so I rummaged through the refrigerator to see what my options were for feeding a lanky 6’3” wide receiver on the high school football team. 

Pancetta, spring lettuce mix, tomatoes and a perfectly ripe avocado were the items that summoned.  The combination reminded me of a BLT (bacon, lettuce and tomato) sandwich, but with a twist.  Slices of bread from a sesame semolina loaf were the perfect bookends for this fresh version. 

If you’re not familiar with pancetta, it’s time to give this very flavorful Italian bacon a try.  It’s now available in the deli section of most grocery stores.  ‘Pancia’ means belly, so pancetta is ‘little belly’.  It differs from American bacon in that it is cut from the underbelly (and not the sides) and is less fatty (an added bonus!). 

Pancetta is dry-cured and seasoned with salt, pepper and other spices.  It is usually rolled into a tight cylinder and sliced very thinly.    A little goes a long way so it’s commonly used as a flavoring for pasta, soups, and many more dishes.  I like to use it to flavor my bean and lentil soups, and think of the pizzazz it would add to a dull chicken breast or a pork loin. 

As an introduction to pancetta, try this sandwich I call the PLTA:

Pancetta, lettuce and tomato sandwich with avocado

Serves 4  (3 for Stefan and 1 for me!)

16 slices pancetta, about 4 ounces (don’t unroll slices)

spring lettuce mix

1 large tomato, sliced thinly

2 avocados, halved and sliced

8 slices sesame semolina bread or bread of your choice

mayonnaise

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place pancetta in a saucepan and fry until crisp.  This will only take a couple of minutes because the pancetta is very thin so watch it closely!

Toast bread and spread each lightly with mayonnaise.  Place 4 pieces of pancetta on each of four pieces of toast.  Top with a slice of tomato, and about half of an avocado (sliced).  Season lightly with salt and generously with freshly ground black pepper.   Heap spring lettuce mix on top of each sandwich and top with remaining toasted bread slices.  Serve immediately.

And that, my friends is a great alternative to the standard BLT!  Stefan and I loved the contrast in texture of the paper-thin crispy pancetta, smooth and silky avocado, and the variety of the lettuce mix.   And according to Stefan, it  beats the lentil soup I made him try when he was about ten years old.  Being from the old school of you-must-try-it-before-you-can-say-you-don’t-like-it, I insisted he try my lentil soup (which I thought was fabulous).  Much to my dismay, it caused an allergic reaction in his mouth and throat, so that I ended up rushing him to the doctor’s office for a cortisone shot!  That scare put this pushy tetka (aunt) in her place! 

Now, about those big feet I keep tripping over …is it your attempt at pay back?!

Prijatno!

Garbanzo Bean Salad with Avocado and a surprise winter harvest!

 

I love our Gulf Cost winters!   We have our fair share of cold snaps during the season, but generally it’s a mild and pleasant affair with lots of uplifting sunshine.  This is what I found a couple of days ago in the garden: 

It’s a vine that went to seed with ripening cherry tomatoes on it!  It’s not exactly an anomaly because we are lucky to have a cool growing season.   Husbie and I have been talking about planting a garden for the cool season when the summer garden begins to fade, but so far it’s only been a conversation piece.  Our options would be endless: arugula, collard greens, lettuce, cabbage, Brussel sprouts and Swiss chard. 

Our Meyer lemon tree has yielded a very respectable crop this year.  A Meyer lemon is a cross between a lemon and an orange, and has a thin skin.  It is sweeter than the common lemon and yields a lot of juice.   My favorite way to enjoy them (when I’m not using them in a dessert!) is to cut half a lemon into quarters, squeeze the mellow juice in a glass of chilled water, and throw the skins in as well.  When I’ve drunk the water, I eat the skins!  It freshens my palate and sends the roughage where it’s needed!

But when I saw the peppers turning red there was no question I knew what I was going to make with them.

 

I have been craving my Garbanzo Bean (chick pea) Salad for a few days now.  I got involved baking so many desserts for the holidays, and with this baking group and that baking group, that I am in need of some healthy fare.  Because this recipe uses a variety of raw ingredients, it is a very healthy choice.  The enzymes in the peppers, onions, avocado and other vegetables are eaten in their fresh, raw state, giving the digestive system and body all of their nutrients. 

I am making a concerted effort to decrease the canned goods in my pantry so I used dried garbanzo beans and rehydrated them by soaking them overnight and boiling them on a medium heat for about 45 minutes or until tender. 

Garbanzo Bean Salad with Avocado

1 cup dried garbanzo beans (chick peas), soaked in water for several hours or overnight.  Drain and replenish water.  Cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes until tender.  Drain, and while still warm, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil OR 1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed.

1/2 to 1 cup red pepper, diced

1 cucumber, diced

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

2 scallions (green onions), finely sliced crosswise

1 jalapeno, diced

a generous handful of cilantro or parsley, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons fruity salad dressing of your choice (I used maple fig), or 2 tablespoons fruit juice.

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 avocados, halved, seed removed

To a large bowl, toss together the garbanzo beans, red pepper, cucumber, red onion, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro or parsley. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salad dressing, ground pepper and salt.  Add to garbanzo bean mix and toss well.  Adjust seasonings, if necessary.  Let stand for an hour or two so that the flavors can marry, or chill if eating later.

When ready to serve, scoop the avocado pulp from its skin.  You can slice it or leave it in one piece.  Place on serving plate and surround with Garbanzo Bean Salad.

Serves 4.

Prijatno!