Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Crunchy Avocado Salad


I'm afraid of avocado's. Well, I guess it's not the avocado I'm afraid of but the act of getting to the avocado. A few years ago, I was attempting to get the pit out of the avocado, which any of you who have tried know that this can be a challenge at times. Well in my effort to stab the pit out with a knife,  I missed the pit and ended up slicing open my hand. I'm sure there are others of you who know my pain, at least I hope so.  The problem is that I love avocado's, so I continue to risk bodily injury to enjoy this great food.



This Salad creation from Bobby Flay is a great showcase for the amazing avocado and is so simple to put together. The tortilla chips over the top provide the perfect crunch and allow you to adjust the flavor of the salad depending on what variety of chip you decide to use. I used Tostitos new Artisan Recipe chips and my favorite flavor for this recipe was the Roasted Garlic and Black Bean. You could create the salad and just set it out with a bowl of chips for dipping as well. If you're not a fan of garbonzo/chick peas, be brave and give it a try anyway. They provide a great texture and flavor that may just surprise you.


Crunchy Avocado Salad
adapted from Food Network

Ingredients


2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and drained again
2 tablespoons roughly torn flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces Tostitos Artisan Recipe tortilla chips


Directions

Gently toss the avocados, tomatoes, chickpeas, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Crumble the chips over the top and serve.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I received samples of TOSTITOS® Artisan Recipes tortilla chips.

7 comments:

  1. I have been on an avacado craze and I love anything with garbonzo beans...may toss in some cilantro too! Thanks for the recipe!

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  2. I love avocado too and this salad looks very good. I am always wary of injuries too when opening an avocado.

    My trick is that once it is cut in half I usually place my chefs knife on top and then with the palm of my other hand I give the top of the blade a hard hit. This way, even if it slips, you will not hit your hands. I then give the avocado a little twist and the seed pops out attached to the knife. I then hit it against the side of the sink so that the seeds releases from the knife.

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  3. AH-mazing! I am really loving the salad...my last post went on and on about how much I love avocado so this meal is just saying/screaming my name ;-)

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  4. We love avocados and are blessed with our own tree, too! I use the blade of a chef's knife, too, not the tip and strike the seed to get it out. I don't usually get hurt doing this, but I do tend to slice myself when chopping vegetables!

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  5. cant wait to try this! avocados are my favorite!!!

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  6. I love anything avocado too! Love this recipe and the addition of the chickpeas, which I've never tried with avocado. I will definitely make this!

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