Every week, Austin has at least one or two meatless meals...he has several favourites and this salad happens to be one of those. It would be paired with a pasta dish with hemp pesto sauce which he also loves (will hopefully post this one next week). For me and my husband, the salad is already a perfect one-dish meal, no sides necessary.

Guacamole is popularly used as a dip...but on this recipe, I made it as a dressing. It has very similar ingredients but a little thinner in consistency. We have a very active teenager and the creamy guacamole makes for a hearty, satisfying and nutritious dressing for him .

Austin's "Tex-Mex" Inspired Salad
Ingredients (Preferably Organic):
For the salad:
1 bunch Romaine lettuce, washed, shredded and spin-dried
3 plum tomatoes, washed and cut into small cubes
1 1/5 c. cooked black beans
1/2 to 1 piece jalapeno pepper, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 c. red onions, finely chopped
1/4 c. coriander leaves finely chopped

For the dressing:
1 avocado, cut and seed removed
juice of 1 1/2 limes
2 tsp. red onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp. coriander leaves, finely chopped
pinch of salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. cumin
1 tsp.maple syrup
4 Tbsp. filtered water
1 tsp. jalapeno pepper (optional)

Method:

1. Prepare all the salad ingredients and set aside. To make the dressing, place all the ingredients into a blender and process until it becomes creamy. Adjust the taste or add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

2. Assemble the salad then add the dressing. If you happen to have a mustard or ketchup dispenser bottle, use one to dispense the dressing. It looks pretty expecially if you are having friends over.

Other options to add to the salad:
cucumber
non-GMO corn

Last Sunday, we had our church service at the park and then enjoyed a picnic afterwards. It was awesome to praise God seeing all his wonderful creations. It was also a great time to share a meal, play and share stories with friends.