Avocado and Tomato Salad

Avocado is one of my favourites, its so creamy and almost rich tasting. I probably eat it at least once a week. It's one of the few "odd" vegetable that my husband enjoys (he calls most vegetbles odd, except the few he ate growing up - corn, broccoli, carrots, you get the idea).

This salad is a bit on the acidic side but it is oh so delicious and I feel it qualifies as "healthy."

Avocado & Tomato Salad

Serves two or three, easily doubled

Ingredients:2 medium tomatoes
1/3 red onion
1 large avocado
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar (maybe a bit more, I usually eyeball it)
2 tbsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
pepper

Steps:
1. Slice the tomato avocado and onion.
2. Mix oil, vinegar, garlic and other spices and pour over the sliced veggies.
3. Salad can be served immediately but is best to let it sit for a half hour or so (this allows for the flavours to come out).

I added this picture to show how I cut up the avocado. I slice it in half lengthwise, then I twist it to separate it. I then slice it still in the shell (you can kind of see this in the picture), then I peel off the shell (you can de-shell it then slice too).

Also, an important thing when picking avocado is the firmness/squishiness. If its really squishy, it's probably bruised. If you can easily push your fingers in a few millimetres it's probably best for a mashed dish (guacamole), if it has a bit of give but is mostly solid it's good for slicing, if it's rock solid leave it on the counter a few days to ripen it.

After looking at these pictures, I think I need to work on my food photography, my skills are lacking...I also really need a new countertop for my kitchen (top photo)...