Greek Island Salad

Greek Island Salad

Photography © 2018 by Henry Hargreaves

New York City’s buzzy all-avocado bar, Avocaderia, became an overnight success when it opened in early 2017 to a flurry of media attention and lines out the door. Avo-lovers come to sample the restaurant’s healthy and unique eats that are as beautiful as they are tasty.

For restaurateurs Alessandro Biggi, Francesco Brachetti, and Alberto Gramigni, the avocado isn’t just a superfood packed with nutrients and heart-healthy fat-it’s a versatile ingredient that gets people excited about eating well.

Now you can bring the Avocaderia experience home, whether it’s to make one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, like the Avo Burger, or Avo-Colada Smoothie, or to try your hand at inventive new offerings, like Zucchini Spaghetti with Avo Pesto, Guac Tots with Pico de Galo, and Avo-Lime Cheesecake.

With flavour inspiration from around the world, from Mexico to Italy to Morocco, this book offers super-delicious, clean-eating dishes that will take you beyond toast and guacamole (though the restaurant’s creative interpretations on classic favourites are also included!), to satisfy every craving:

  • •Baked Avocado with Egg and Crunchy Parm
  • •Roasted Roots Farro Bowl
  • •Guac-Fried Tots with Pico de Gallo
  • •Zucchini Spaghetti with Avocado Pesto
  • •Avo-Lime Cheesecake

Imaginative and playful, this book delivers recipes that nourish your heart, stomach, and soul. Get ready to spread the love.

Avocaderia: Avocado Recipes for a Healthier, Happier Life is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

Greek Island Salad

Alberto is constantly on the hunt for international flavours, and he takes careful notes on every meal he has when he’s travelling (what a life, right?!). He went to Athens one summer to visit a friend and ate his weight in Greek food, from moussaka to souvlaki to gyro. Without fail, Greek salads were served at each meal. This is Alberto’s version—with a healthy dose of avo added, of course. If you want to incorporate more traditional Greek flavours here, replace the Yogurt & Fresh Herbs dressing with a little olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, and dried oregano.

SERVES 4

4 cups loosely packed mixed salad greens

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

2 cups diced cucumbers

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped

1/2 cup Yogurt & Fresh Herbs dressing (Recipe below)

2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced into wedges

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup Pistachio Dukkah (Recipe below)

Place the greens in a serving bowl and top with the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes. Drizzle with the dressing and add the avocado wedges, feta, and dukkah.

 

Pistachio Dukkah

Dukkah is an Egyptian nut-and-spice blend that we sprinkle over toasts, salads, and grain bowls. Hazelnuts are classically the preferred nut, but we like to add pistachios for more crunch and depth of flavour.

Makes 2 cups

1-1/2 cups shelled salted roasted pistachios

1/2 cup dukkah spice blend

In a food processor, pulse the pistachios until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the dukkah. Store in a resealable container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

 

Yogurt & Fresh Herbs dressing

We use this simple, rich yogurt mixture as a spread or dressing on our salads and in soups and main dishes. If you want a more salad dressing–like consistency, just add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. For a tzatziki-style flavour, stir in some grated cucumbers and garlic.

MAKES ABOUT 11/2 CUPS

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

21/2 tablespoons infused olive oil from Olive Oil & Herb dressing (Recipe below)

2 teaspoons salt

In a bowl, combine the yogurt, dressing, salt, and 1/4 cup water and whisk until combined. Store in a resealable container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

Olive Oil & Herb dressing

Infusing warm olive oil with herbs is easy and is a great flavour booster. We use it in our Yogurt & Fresh Herbs dressing (page 185), and it’s perfect as a replacement for plain olive oil in most recipes, like roasted vegetables and meats.

MAKES 1-¹⁄3 CUPS

2 cups olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons fresh

Rosemary

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Remove from the heat and submerge the mint, thyme, and rosemary in the oil; let cool to room temperature. Using an immersion blender, blend the oil and herbs for 15 to 20 seconds, then strain out the herbs and store the infused oil in a resealable container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

 

GREEK ISLAND SALAD is excerpted from AVOCADERIA: AVOCADO RECIPES FOR A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER LIFE © 2018 Alessandro Biggi, Francesco Brachetti and Alberto Gramigni. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. Photography © Henry Hargreaves.

 

Leave a Reply