Avocado Dressing

I know this might sound crazy, but I think other foodies will back me up on this.  With certain foods I can remember exactly when I started loving them.  Avocado is a good example of that for me.  I was living in Europe, we were traveling a lot, and trying not to spend a ton of money on food.  We were frugal students back then (although my parents might disagree with that) at least it seemed like we were!  Anyway, we would stop at a grocery store when we got to a city and buy ingredients to make sandwiches for lunch so we didn't have to stop at restaurants.  Instead of buying dressing we opted for avocado.  Avocado, turkey, and amazing bread.  I can still taste it, and as the years have passed I've been adding avocado to more and more, and I must say, it's always delicious. 

This recipe is awesome because it's simple and you can use it for many things.  In a food processor or blender, combine two avocados, buttermilk, scallion, parsley, mint leaves, lemon juice, 1/2 cup of water, salt and pepper to taste.  Pulse until smooth.

I used this as a salad dressing, and it was perfect.  Like having avocado pieces but as a dressing, can't get much better than that!  You can also use it as a spread on a sandwich or also as a dressing for chicken salad, which would also be pretty tasty.

Do you have any favorite memories of when you first tried and started enjoying a food?  

Avocado Dressing

Makes ~2 1/2 cups

Adapted from Everyday Food

2 avocados
1 cup buttermilk
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste


In a food processor or blender combine all ingredients.
Pulse until smooth. 
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Kale Salad w/ Pomegranate Seeds

The last couple of weeks I've been on a special diet - mainly because I was having some allergic reactions but wasn't sure what was causing it.  The diet doesn't allow any processed food essentially.  No meat, bread, dairy, coffee, drinking..yeah, it's been a blast.  As I start introducing more foods into my diet, I think I've concluded that I'm allergic to dairy - which will make things interesting seeing as much as I love cheese and any dessert with cream in it, but one step at a time.  I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy some of the meals though. I thought I would share a couple with you, starting with this kale salad. 

Start with a bunch of kale.  If you've never tried kale, you really must.  It's a great substitute for lettuce, it's great for you and fills you up easily.  Rub 1 bunch of kale with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger.

I did this in a large bowl, and that worked best. 

Chop two tablespoons of red onion.

I used a half of a pomegranate, but you could easily use the whole one.  Pomegranate seeds are what makes this salad so tasty!

Combine the pomegranate seeds and the chopped onions.  One of my favorite blogs "The Italian Dish" had a post about how to deseed a pomegranate, if you need some help please click here to get step by step instructions.

Add the onions and pomegranate seeds on top of the kale.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  You can also add toasted walnuts on top. This is a tasty dish and great for you.  177 calories, with 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.  Your body will love you after this salad!

Kale Salad w/ Pomegranate Seeds

Serves 4

Adapted from Whole Living Magazine

1 bunch of kale

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

1/4 chopped toasted walnuts

course salt and pepper

Rub 1 bunch of kale with olive oil, lime juice, and ginger.

Toss and set aside.

Add 1/2 pomegranate seeds, red onions and walnuts and toss.

Season with salt and pepper. 

Enjoy!