Avocado, Grapefruit, and Watercress Salad

As the temperature warms up, we tend to crave more cooling foods. This salad is a perfect summer salad.

Tomorrow, Max graduates from Miss Jenny's Friendship House Preschool. Next Fall, he is Kindergarten-bound.  Luckily, he gets to go to summer camp with the same kids and teacher, also a good friend of mine, or there might be lots of tears this week.    He told me the other day that he liked school better than TV.   Enough said.   Miss Jenny is pretty much a rock star in my house.   Jake is his best buddy and if we could just bring him with us to California next year, everything would be peachy in Max's world. Next week will officially feel like summer around here as school is out and camps begin, flowers start to bloom, and flip flops and tank tops become the daily apparel.

This salad should be on the summer menu. We have been getting the sweetest grapefruits lately. If you are finding that your grapefruits are more on the sour side, you can use oranges instead. This salad is refreshing and light with bursts of flavor from the sweet, juicy grapefruit, the bitter watercress, the crunchy hazelnuts, and the creamy goat cheese and avocado. Watercress is so good for you and just like parsley, it shouldn't just be a garnish.   Hippocrates is said to have built his hospital near water so that watercress would be in abundance and he could use it to treat his patients.  It's naturally anti-aging  and is a Vitamin C powerhouse. I saw Ina Garden make a large salad with avocado and grapefruit in a mustard vinaigrette and it inspired me to try something similar. I hope you like this version.

Enjoy! And if you like this, please share with your friends.

Avocado, Grapefruit, and Watercress Salad

serves 2 as a meal

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  avocados, diced

• 2 grapefruits, segmented

• Bunch of watercress,  washed and loosely chopped

• Sprinkle of goat cheese - about 1/4 cup

• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped

For the Vinaigrette

• 1 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 TBPS walnut oil

• 1 TBSP red wine vinegar

• Small shallot, finely chopped

• Salt and pepper

Directions To Make Vinaigrette

1. Start with the vinaigrette so that the flavors can marinate for a little bit. 

2. Add oils, vinegar, shallot and salt and pepper and stir well or shake.   I make mine in a container with a lid so I can shake it up.

Directions

1. In a small pan in the stove, toast hazelnuts over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they become golden brown.  Watch them carefully because perfect to burnt is only a matter of moments.

2. To segment the grapefruit, slice off both ends of the grapefruit so it sits nicely on the cutting board and doesn't roll away.  Safety first.   With a knife, cut away the peel all around.   Then with a paring knife, cut out each segment between the pith. 

3. Slice avocado. 

4. On a plate, place avocados in the center with the grapefruit around the edges (only if you are going for a pretty look).

5. Add the watercress.

6. Sprinkle the hazelnuts and the goat cheese on top. 

7. Pour the vinaigrette on the salad and give it a light mix. 

   Voila.  A mighty tasty salad.