Try this Southwest Summer Salad recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 cup corn
- pinch of cayenne
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 avocado (diced)
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
- 2 limes (juiced)
- 2 medium-large zucchini (spiralized)
- 5 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes (halved or quartered)
- 2 cups canned/cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 purple onion (diced)
- Carbohydrate 7.53820000001551 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 28.494128773672 g
- Fiber 1.08961251438848 g
- Protein 1.342251250009 g
- Saturated Fat 3.30781937773629 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (102g)
- Sodium 442.318000000194 mg
- Sugar 6.44858748562704 g
- Trans Fat 1.27688200104228 g
- Calories 282 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine avocado oil, lime juice, cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, and cayenne in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl add the spiralized zucchini, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, cilantro, corn, avocado, and purple onion.
- Toss the ingredients in the large bowl with the avocado lime dressing and serve.
Raw zucchini has a high water content and a tendency to shed liquid rapidly when exposed to salt, a structural reality that turns bowls into puddles if certain precautions are ignored. When salt contacts the cellular walls of spiralized zucchini, osmosis draws moisture outward, diluting dressings and rendering the vegetables limp within minutes. Unseasoned spiralized zucchini also tastes remarkably grassy and lacks the structural integrity required to hold heavier legumes like chickpeas without collapsing entirely.
Preventing water release requires treating the zucchini prior to dressing. Salting the spiralized zucchini in a colander for fifteen minutes and pressing it firmly in clean kitchen towels removes excess cellular water before it can compromise the dish. Whisking the avocado oil and lime juice aggressively until emulsified ensures the dressing clings to the vegetables rather than sliding off the noodles and pooling at the bottom of the bowl. When selecting avocados for the mixture, press gently near the stem end; yielding firmness indicates optimal ripeness without internal bruising.
Switching out the chickpeas for black beans offers a firmer texture profile, though canned beans must be thoroughly rinsed to remove excess starch that dulls the bright lime flavor. Raw purple onion can be mellowed by soaking the diced pieces in ice water for ten minutes before draining and adding them to the bowl. Keeping dressed portions tightly sealed in the refrigerator for longer than two hours results in excessive softening, making immediate consumption the preferred approach.
