avocado Archives | Winstead Wandering

Cucumber Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

June 14, 2018 by Abby

Loaded with fresh vegetables and tossed in a from-scratch dressing, Cucumber Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is the perfect light side to accompany any main dish.

Loaded with fresh vegetables and tossed in a from-scratch dressing, Cucumber Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is the perfect light side to accompany any main dish.

I bake a lot of sweets. That’s probably immediately clear to anyone who spends half a second on this site because I have a ton of dessert recipes. I do sell or give away a lot of what I make, so other than the necessary taste test here or there, I’m not actually eating too much of what I bake.

Let me be clear, though: I do have a killer sweet tooth. If things like nutrition and calories didn’t matter, I would live on desserts. But they do, so I make sure to whip up recipes like this Cucumber Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette. It only takes a few minutes to put together, and it features some of my favorite vegetables.

Loaded with fresh vegetables and tossed in a from-scratch dressing, Cucumber Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is the perfect light side to accompany any main dish.

Cucumbers don’t get enough credit. I can see why they may come across as slimy or flavorless, but I love them. They’re the perfect vegetable to carry this salad, and they’re a wonderful complement to the juicy tomatoes and the strong onions. Throw in a chunks of mild avocado, toss the whole thing in a tart homemade dressing, and you’ve got yourself an easy side dish that pairs well with just about any entree.

Loaded with fresh vegetables and tossed in a from-scratch dressing, Cucumber Salad with Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette is the perfect light side to accompany any main dish.

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Tomato Black Bean Avocado Dip

January 2, 2017 by Abby

Tomato black bean avocado dip is an easy, healthy, and crowd-pleasing recipe that’s as perfect for an afternoon snack as it is for your next party.

Tomato black bean avocado dip is an easy, healthy, and crowd-pleasing recipe that's as perfect for an afternoon snack as it is for your next party.

My mom made this tomato black bean avocado dip, among other things, for my little sister’s high school graduation party last June. There’ some sort of magic that goes into this recipe because, I have to confess, I don’t even care much for tomatoes, avocados, or black beans. Despite that, I could.not.stop. eating this stuff. If that isn’t the sign of a great recipe, I don’t know what is.

There was plenty of other killer food there that day, including cinnamon roll bars with cream cheese frosting and a few other as-yet-unblogged recipes, but I kept coming back to this tomato black bean avocado dip. I enjoyed it with tortilla strips, but I can imagine how great it would be on pita, nachos, or tacos. Basically, it’s a dip and a condiment in one. I won’t even judge you for going after it with just a fork. It’s healthy enough you can do that guilt-free.

Tomato black bean avocado dip is an easy, healthy, and crowd-pleasing recipe that's as perfect for an afternoon snack as it is for your next party.

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Avocado Tuna Salad

September 12, 2016 by Abby

No mayo here. Hearty, healthy ingredients like Greek yogurt and sweet bell peppers will make this avocado tuna salad your new favorite lunch.

Canned tuna is a pretty love it or hate it food. Obviously, I fall in the love it category, even though I’m not a fan of eating it plain. In the past few years I’ve started to substitute Greek yogurt for mayonnaise and sour cream in a lot recipes, so I decided to give it a shot here, too. I’m also on an avocado kick, so I tossed some of that in, too.

I love making my tuna more hearty by adding all kinds of diced vegetables. I just go with whatever I have on hand, which usually consists of diced jalapeño (from a jar), sweet bell pepper in any color, and red onion. Sometimes, if I have it, I’ll throw in celery and cucumbers, too. I love the crunch and the texture those vegetables add.

I don’t care for much for celery or sweet relish, which is why you won’t find either of those in this recipe. You can totally add those if that’s what you’re into, but I love it just the way it is. My favorite ways to eat avocado tuna salad are with pita bread or crackers, like the cracked pepper and olive oil Triscuits from the pictures.