Easy Vegetable and Fruit Salad
I originally found this as a breakfast dish and it works wonderfully for that giving you a non egg breakfast option but it is also a great change of pace as a side dish Great with or without walnuts this recipe is very easy to throw together and can be made the night before and sat in the refrigerator to streamline your morning
I originally found this as a breakfast dish and it works wonderfully for that giving you a non egg breakfast option but it is also a great change of pace as a side dish Great with or without walnuts this recipe is very easy to throw together and can be made the night before and sat in the refrigerator to streamline your morning
- Carbohydrate 7.53900530303786 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 12.9611241078291 g
- Fiber 4.03454874785431 g
- Protein 4.67614275336703 g
- Saturated Fat 1.07270465795046 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (88g)
- Sodium 11.2621825007491 mg
- Sugar 3.50445655518355 g
- Trans Fat 1.12190209825808 g
- Calories 151 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine all the veggies, fruit, nuts and herbs in a medium-sized bowl.
- Squeeze the lemon juice on top.
- Gently stir to combine all the flavors. If youre preparing other breakfast items like eggs, make the salad first so it has time to sit and let the flavors marry a bit.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Handling What You Have
What happens when the crisper drawer holds firm pears instead of plums, or crisp radishes instead of jicama? Substituting produce in raw salads requires evaluating density and moisture content before slicing. Swapping jicama for water chestnuts yields a similar crunch, though water chestnuts carry less natural sweetness and absorb surrounding acid faster. When replacing the black plum with stone fruit like peaches, ensure they are slightly underripe; overly soft fruit breaks down rapidly under the weight of lemon juice and mechanical stirring. Dice all hard roots to uniform quarter-inch cubes so they do not overpower the softer mouthfeel of the avocado.
Acid and Oxidation Control
Citrus juice serves two distinct purposes when raw avocado and fruit meet air. Fresh lemon juice lowers the pH on the surface of the avocado cells, slowing the polyphenol oxidase enzyme responsible for browning, while simultaneously cutting through the heavy, unsaturated fats of the walnuts. Pouring the juice over the mixture immediately after cutting prevents unsightly discoloration within the fifteen-minute prep window. If lemons yield less than the expected three tablespoons, supplement with lime juice without altering the flavor profile significantly.
Adapting Batch Sizes
Scaling this mixture up for larger gatherings requires shifting from bowls to shallow wide platters to prevent bruising at the bottom of the stack. Doubling the quantity means chopping the celery and cucumber slightly finer to maintain proper surface-to-mass distribution across every serving. Prepared components hold safely in the refrigerator for up to four hours if dressed lightly, though avocados are best folded in just prior to serving to retain their structural integrity.
