Avocado Salad with Lime Cilantro Dressing

Here's a delicious avocado salad recipe that only takes 10 minutes to make but comes with the potential for life-long companionship.

It's versatile too, so feel free to get creative with the fixings to make it a fit for your taste buds.  The only thing not up for debate though is the seasoning of the avocados; this seems to be the key so plan on using at least 1/4 teaspoon of salt for each avocado.

Avocado Salad Recipe

We're serving it with some Lime Cilantro Dressing that can be whipped up in a blink:

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of 1 lime (1 tablespoon+)
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 garlic clove
10-15 sprigs cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Combine well and give it a try for some potential tweaks.  If it's too tart for your taste, add a bit more oil.  If it's too oily for your taste, add a bit more lime juice.

You'll end up with 5-6 tablespoons of delish dressing, but don't feel compelled to use it all.  I think the dish itself tastes best when there is just a hint of the dressing (I only used 2-3 tablespoons).  Of course, that's assuming that the avocados are seasoned properly.

For the salad fixings you'll need:

3 avocados
1/2 English cucumber
2 Roma tomatoes
1/4 red onion

I used 3 smaller avocados but 2 larger ones would probably do the job too.

Add these ingredients to a mixing bowl along with some freshly cracked pepper and 3/4 teaspoon salt (1/4 teaspoon for each avocado).  Combine well.

But before you add any dressing take a taste.  This will give you a good idea of how much dressing your taste buds will require.

If you're in the "hint of dressing" category like me then about 2-3 tablespoons of the Lime Cilantro Dressing should be enough for the entire batch, but of course you are welcome to add a bit more.

We're also topping this dish with a healthy dose of Cotija cheese.

If you're new to Cotija cheese it's worth trying to find a source in your neighborhood.  Some general markets will carry it, and of course if you have a Hispanic market in your area you'll definitely find it there.

It has a similar texture to Parmesan but with a sharper, saltier flavor.   A good alternative for Cotija is Feta, so feel free to use that as a substitute.

You can also add a final sprinking of freshly chopped cilantro if you've gone easy on the dressing and want a bit more of the cilantro flavor.

Yum!  If all went according to plan you've got a potential life-long friend on your hands.

And since it's technically a salad you've got special permission to eat as much of it as you want.  Because it's a salad.  Right?!

Buen Provecho.

For a change of pace, you could top this salad with our Toasted Cumin Lime Vinaigrette.

Got avocados on the brain?  Our latest post is this delicious Avocado Soup.

You might also like our Quinoa Avocado Salad.