Best Ensalada Esmeralda With Avocado Dressing Recipes

VALENCIAN SALAD (ENSALADA VALENCIANA)

Steps:

• Discard any brown or wilted leaves from the romaine. Separate the head into individual leaves. Trim the thick center ribs from the romaine leaves, and tear the rest of the leaf into bite sized pieces. Wash and dry the lettuce, preferably in a salad spinner. The romaine may be cleaned up to a couple of hours before serving; refrigerate it in a serving bowl covered with a damp towel.
• Cut the tops and bottoms off the oranges with a paring knife. Trim off the skin, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Remove the sections from between the membranes with a paring knife. Work over a medium bowl to catch any juice from the oranges. Set the orange segments aside in a small bowl.
• Whisk the collected orange juice, vinegar, honey, and thyme together. Whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream until blended. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Toss the lettuce, onion and olives together with the dressing in a serving bowl. Scatter the orange segments over the salad and serve.

GRILLED SALMON AND PINEAPPLE WITH AVOCADO DRESSING

Steps:

• Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
• Whisk the oil, chopped basil, chives, chopped tarragon, salt and pepper in a small bowl to blend. Brush the salmon and pineapple slices with the herb mixture.
• Cook the salmon until barely cooked through and still pink inside, about 4 minutes per side. Cook the pineapple until slightly charred, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
• Transfer 1 pineapple slice to each plate and arrange a piece of salmon slightly overlapping it. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the Avocado Dressing over each piece of fish. Garnish with basil and tarragon sprigs and serve.
• Combine the lemon juice, basil, chives, olive oil, tarragon, anchovy paste if using, salt, pepper, garlic and avocado in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of water and process until smooth. Cover the dressing and let stand for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour for the flavors to blend.

AVOCADO SALAD (ENSALADA DE AGUACATE)

Steps:

• Marinate the onion
• Place the onion slices and vinegar in a resealable plastic bag, press out as much air as possible, and close the bag. Alternatively, place the onion and vinegar in a small bowl and put a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ingredients so that the onion slices remain submerged in the vinegar. Allow the onion to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Assemble the salad and serve
• Reserve a few tablespoons of the vinegar used to marinate the onion before draining the onion slices and setting aside. Place the avocado slices on a serving platter and top with the red onion slices. Drizzle the oil and reserved red wine vinegar over the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste.

ENSALADA CRIOLLA

Steps:

• Arrange everything on a large platter. Toss with oil, vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

TEX MEX SHRIMP AND SQUASH GRAIN BOWL WITH AVOCADO DRESSING

Steps:

• For the squash: Prepare the quinoa according to the package instructions. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the butternut squash on the baking sheet. Spray with the olive oil, then sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper, and rub the seasonings on the pieces. Roast, turning once to ensure they are not burning, until crisp-tender with brown edges, about 20 minutes.
• For the avocado dressing: Blend the avocado, almond milk, cilantro, jalapeno and cider vinegar, if using, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add a tablespoon of water or a bit more lime juice to make the sauce thinner, if desired. Set aside in an airtight container.
• For the grain bowls: Add the olive oil, garlic and onion to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns brown and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, then toss in the shrimp. Add the chili powder and smoked paprika and cook, tossing occasionally, until the shrimp is plump, the outside edges are seared and there are no more visible raw areas, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the kale to the skillet along with the lime juice. Cook, tossing occasionally, allowing the kale to wilt under the steam of the lime juice until the kale has softened yet is still crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove everything from the heat.
• Divide the quinoa, butternut squash and shrimp and kale mix among three bowls. Toss together in the individual bowls. Top with equal amounts of the dressing. Garnish with cilantro, green onions and lime juice.

AVOCADO DRESSING

Steps:

• In a large bowl mash the avocados with the lemon juice. In a blender combine the avocado and all of the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth. Pour the dressing into an airtight container and allow to mellow in the refrigerator for one day.

AVOCADO GRAPEFRUIT SALAD (ENSALADA DE PALTA Y TORONJA)

Steps:

• To make the grapefruit segments: Cut both ends off the grapefruits and stand the grapefruits on a cutting board. With a paring knife, trim off the peel and white pith from the grapefruits, removing as little of the grapefruit flesh as possible. Working over a bowl, cut the segments free of the membrane, letting the segments drop into the bowl. After you've cut all the segments, squeeze all the juice out of the membranes into the bowl. Refrigerate the segments in the juice until needed, up to 2 hours.
• Just before serving, cut the avocados in half, remove the pit and peel the halves. Slice each half lengthwise into 6 thin slices. Drain the grapefruit and reserve the juice (for the salad, if using, or as a treat for the cook). Add the avocado to the grapefruit along with the olives and lime juice. Toss gently to mix, while adding just enough olive oil to coat the avocado. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and toss again. If you like, use a little of the reserved grapefruit juice to add a little zing to the salad.