EVENT: SUNDAY FUNDAY
THEME: MAIN COURSE ACCOMPANIMENTS
RECIPE: CHERRY TOMATO & AVOCADO SALAD
Cherry Tomato & Avocado Salad is a very easy, healthy and flavourful salad that comes together in a matter of minutes. A versatile salad, you can use any dressing of your choice. Also can use salad leaves of your choice and add other ingredients.
Recently, at a supermarket I frequent, both baby tomatoes and avocados were on offer. Yes, here in Canada am learning to look out for offers and some of them are pretty good.. get 2 for the price of one, 2 or 3 will cost less than if you buy one at a time. Such offers are a rarity in Kenya.
With heat warnings and hot summers, I prefer to cook a quick meal and am out of the kitchen as quickly as possible.
Sunday Funday
Sunday Funday is a group of Food Bloggers. Every Sunday we share some fun, traditional, hearty or easy recipes to make Sunday Family Meals a bit more exciting. To join this fun group, visit the Sunday Funday Facebook Page. Request to join in.
Theme: Main Course Accompaniment
This week Sneha who blogs at Sneha’s Recipes, suggested that we make main course accompaniments. I’ve made a simple tomato, avocado and cucumber salad that I served with a pasta dish. As, one accompaniment that goes well with any cuisine is a good healthy salad.
What Are Accompaniments?
In relation to food an accompaniment is something we eat or drink with another food. So it can be a dip, sauce, chutney to starters, fruits to cereals, wine to a main meal, breads and flatbreads for a curry, coulis, custard, ice cream to a dessert, etc. As per the theme it has to be an accompaniment to a main course.
Depending on the type of cuisine, the accompaniment can vary. For an Indian Meal, an accompaniment can be raita, a yogurt based dish that usually is enjoyed with biryani or as a side dish. Yogurt based drinks, chaas are considered an accompaniment and so are salads, pickles, chutneys. Usually vegetable dishes, whether with a sauce or dry are considered as a part of the main meal. Rice and flatbreads are accompaniments unless of course you’re serving a pulao or biryani as a main dish.
Some Accompaniments That Fellow Bloggers Served Up With The Main Meal:
- Broccoli Rice Casserole by Making Miracles
- Garlic & Paprika Roasted Cauliflower by Amy’s Cooking Adventures
- Roasted Veggie Couscous by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Matar Bharay Patties by Sneha’s Recipe
- Cherry Tomato and Avocado Salad by Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Creamy Macaroni Salad by Palatable Pastime
- Nasturtium Leaves & Stems Raita (Yogurt Dip)
(Using Nasturtium Leaves & Stems by Cook with Renu
Some More Accompaniments You May Want To Check Out:
For Some Delicious Indian Flatbreads which can accompany any meal click on the link:
A Bit More About Cherry Tomato & Avocado Salad
The recipe given below is a rough guideline. You can add other ingredients like radish, carrots, corn, etc. Add any cheese like cheddar, feta or goats cheese if your wish. How about some spring onion, fresh herbs, of your choice. Every time I make this salad it usually is a bit different, depending on what I add.
This recipe was first published on 16/07/2012. While the recipe remains the same, I’ve updated the photos and the write up.
Share your version with me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and tag me.
Ingredients Required For Cherry Tomato & Avocado Salad:
- Tomatoes – the small tomatoes either cherry or plums. Also known as snacking tomatoes, they tend to be sweeter than the normal tomatoes. Use any which you get. Wash and wipe the tomatoes. Cut them into halves.
- Avocado – use an avocado that is not too ripe as you don’t want a mushy salad. Peel the avocado and cut into chunks.
- Cucumber – I’ve added cucumber as it is healthy and cooling especially during the hot season. I’ve used English Cucumber, so didn’t peel it. Cut it into chunks.
- Salad Leaves – any of your choice. Mixed, arugula, ice berg lettuce, romaine, etc. Tear up the big leaves into bite size pieces.
- Lemon Juice – to drizzle over the avocado. Drizzling lemon juice over the avocado prevents it from turning brown.
Salad Dressing – can use either any good quality ready made salad dressing or make it at home. If you want to make it at home then you will need the following ingredients:
- Olive Oil – use good quality virgin olive oil
- Balsamic Vinegar/ Lemon Juice – use any of your choice. Can use other good quality vinegars of your choice.
- Honey/ Maple Syrup – for a vegan version use maple syrup.
- Salt – any type of your choice
- Black Pepper – coarsely ground
- Mustard Seeds – dry toast them lightly. When the seeds cool down, crush them with a rolling pin. Or you can use any mustard paste of your choice.
- Finely Chopped Onion – use red, white or yellow. Make sure it is finely chopped.
- Garlic – one clove is enough, peel and mince it. Don’t use too much garlic as you don’t want it to overpower the other flavours.
CHERRY TOMATO & AVOCADO SALAD
Ingredients
- 1 medium avocado medium peeled and cut into chunks
- 14 cherry tomatoes cut into halves
- 1 medium I cucumber cut into chunks
- handful salad leaves
- MUSTARD SALAD DRESSING:
- 2 tbsps finely chopped onion
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey/maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds coarsely ground
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp coarse pepper powder
Instructions
- As soon as you cut the avocado, sprinkle a little lemon juice over it and mix it so that it does not go black.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, cucumber and salad leaves to the avocado.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and serve.
Notes
- Use a jar to shake the dressing if you do not have a whisk.
- Can add any other green leaves if you like.
- If you are lucky to get colourful baby tomatoes, use those
- Can mince the onion in a chopper if you like.
- Let the finely chopped onion marinate in the dressing for 15 -30 minutes before adding it to the salad.
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A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962