Crisp and crunchy veggies meet creamy avocado in this yummy salad.
This simple 6-ingredient Mediterranean salad features our favorite nutritious ingredients. Our take on this simple salad excludes lettuce from the list of ingredients. By putting the emphasis on vine-ripened, sun kissed tomatoes and crunchy cucumbers and onions, your tastebuds will welcome the creamy softness of a perfect avocado. Just slice, toss and eat –this simple salad is easy, stress-free and absolutely mouthwatering!
Mediterranean Diet Basics
Our Mediterranean salad fits in with the focus on making vegetables and healthy fats the star of your meal. Mediterraneans eat local produce that’s in season, and then eat it abundantly. The Mediterranean Diet focuses on consuming a healthy variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, whole grains, and beans. Moderate attention is given to dairy, poultry, eggs, and seafood. With this in mind, very little focus is on red meat and baked goods.
It would seem popular diets extolling extra virgin olive oil above all other ingredients wouldn’t be a go-to for immediate weight loss. In actuality, though, the Mediterranean Diet is ideal for weight maintenance. With an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, and an abundance of whole grains and legumes, the only downside, it would seem, is time and money.
How To Cut Costs On Fresh Produce
However, we all know good food takes time, and fresh food typically costs more. To combat these factors, try buying produce from local fruit stands. If you can, visit your discount supermarkets. Frequently, these markets offer discounted, overstocked and closeout products from name brand and private label suppliers. If you aren’t attached to familiar brands of foods, you’ll most certainly find affordable and oftentimes much tastier versions.
Mediterranean Salad Has Good Fat
Avocado enriches simple salads with its incomparable flavor and nutrients. Avocados are especially rich in pantothenic acids, vitamin K, and fibers. They pair wonderfully with almost anything because of their mildly nutty taste. Avocados are full of fat, but nowadays fat isn’t the devil it used to be.
Because avocados are high in heart healthy fat, those in the know that eat it regularly are happy and less hungry. On account of its high fat and fiber content, the maligned avocado actually prevents people from overeating. By making avocados the protein point of this simple salad, you will feel satiated and less hungry hours after eating it than if you had eaten a garden salad.
Simple Salad Needs Ripe Avocados
Picking fresh avocados is essential in this Mediterranean salad. When assessing a group of avocados in the market, the darker skinned, less vibrant green ones are best to check. If you want to eat the avocado right away, it should yield to a little pressure but not feel too soft. If you are planning to eat the avocado in a few days, pick a more firm one.
Rock hard avocados will taste great in a little under a week and can take up space in the bountiful fruit bowl on your counter-top. When placed in a bowl with bananas, avocados will ripen quicker. If you need avocados to ripen sooner for this simple salad, you can put them in a sealed brown paper bag for a day or two. Conversely, if you need to retard the ripening process, place the avocado in the refrigerator and it will keep for a few days longer than if left out at room temperature.
This salad is packed with lovely flavors and nutrients that you can enjoy over and over again. In fact, the more you have it, the better it will be for your body! Simply toss and enjoy!
6-Ingredient Mediterranean Salad
Ingredients
- 2 avocados peeled and sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 cucumbers medium, diced
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1 tomato large, sliced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- In a serving bowl, combine all vegetables. In a small bowl whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice, drizzle over salad ingredients and gently toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
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If you loved this Mediterranean salad, you may also like to learn How to Make Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Burgers With Cheese and Mediterranean Greek Salmon with Orzo Recipe.
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Editor’s Note: This recipe was originally published on May 11, 2016.Â
Love these recipes, they keep me searching for good things to eat when dieting
Love it. Made it for some years