How to Make Summer Avocado and Tomato Salad

This light seasonal salad serves double duty. You can eat it with tortilla chips as a sort of unconstructed guacamole, or serve it as a side dish at a backyard cookout. It's also great as a taco filling with grilled steak or chicken. This recipe makes about 3 cups.

Things You'll Need

• 1/3 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. cilantro leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. each white and cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1 lime
• 1/2 small red onion
• 1 large, ripe tomato
• 3 to 4 ripe avocados
• Groceries
• Chef's Knives
• Cutting Boards
• Mixing Bowls
• Salad Bowls
• Salad Spinners
• Salda Utensils
• Mixing bowls

Instructions

1. Place the olive oil, cilantro, garlic and seasonings in a blender or food processor.

2. 

   Juice the lime and add the lime juice, then run the machine for at least 30 seconds, until everything is pureed.

3. If you prefer to do this by hand, mince the garlic and cilantro and whisk together with the other dressing ingredients.

4. Peel and dice the red onion into very small pieces, at least 1/4 inch. Place them in a strainer and rinse them under very cold water. Drain well.

5. Cut the tomato in quarters and slice away the core and interior pulp so you're left with the firm meat next to the skin. Dice this into 1/2-inch pieces.

6. 

   Seed and peel the avocado, and cut it into large cubes between 1/2 and 3/4 inch in size.

7. 

   Place the onion, tomato and avocado in a mixing bowl and toss with the dressing until well coated. Don't add too much; you may not need all the dressing.

8. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if necessary.

Tips & Warnings

• To make this salad even easier, don't bother blending the dressing. Mince the garlic finely, cut the olive oil in half, and simply mix all the ingredients together. The blended dressing does help keep the avocado pieces from browning, though.

• To pit and peel avocados easily, cut through the avocado vertically until you reach the pit, then cut all the way around it. Separate the avocado halves and hold the half with the pit in one hand. Stick the edge of the knife blade into the pit; twist until the seed releases. Remove the avocado flesh from the skin with a large soup spoon.

• Store this salad for up to 6 hours with plastic wrap pressed directly onto its surface.