Avocado-Cucumber Salad with Carrot-Sesame Dressing

Avocado-Cucumber-Salad-with-Carrot-Sesame-Dressing

Meat-and-Potatoes-Guy and I have a Japanese restaurant in our neighborhood that we love.

It’s small and the owners are very friendly.

Decorated with miniature zen gardens and plenty of leafy plants, it’s always quiet and never overly crowded.

After a crazy stressful day, dinner there feels like a calming, peaceful retreat.

Two things I love especially:

1.) Their avocado-cucumber maki rolls.

2.) And their carrot-ginger salad dressing.

I’m guessing these both sound a little exotic and usual to the average American who doesn’t have a Japanese restaurant they love in their neighborhood.

But, let me tell you, after you’ve dived in and sampled them: you will fall in love.

And then try to recreate the flavors at home.

Easy-Avocado-Cucumber-Salad-with-Carrot-Sesame-Dressing

Which is what I’ve done here.

Cucumber-and-Avocad-Salad

Here is what is wonderful about these flavors:

The perfect contrast between the fresh crunch of cucumber and the buttery richness of avocado.

Flavored with a thick, creamy carrot dressing that’s absolutely delicious with sweet and tangy and zesty notes.

And topped with toasted sesame seeds to add a delicious nutty complement.

Easy-Avocado-Cucumber-Salad-with-Sesame-Carrot-Dressing

It’s unique, it’s full of interesting flavors, and it’s definitely a cure for same-old-salad blues.

ingredients

Here are all the ingredients you’ll need.

sesame-seeds-on-a-baking-sheet

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grab some sesame seeds (find them in the spice isle at the grocery) and toss them on a baking sheet.

toasted-sesame-seedfs

Toast them in the oven until they begin to turn golden.

Just watch them closely – they’ll burn fast!

chopping-carrots

Meanwhile, grab a couple small carrots (I used a handful of bagged carrot sticks here) and roughly chop them.

preparing-shallot

Then cut both ends off of a shallot and cut it in half lengthwise.

Peel off the skin and place one half flat-side-down on the cutting board for stability.

Then roughly slice it.

fresh-ginger

Next up: fresh ginger!

Here it is, if you’ve never tried it.

It’s actually the root of a plant, and usually found near other root veggies (onions or carrots) in the produce section at the grocery.

Looks a little strange.

A lot intimidating.

But it’s actually easy.

preparing-fresh-ginger

Just chop off a small (about 1-inch) section (place the rest in an airtight container and store in the fridge or freezer, depending on how often you plan to use it).

peeling-ginger

Use a small pairing knife or a vegetable peeler to scrape off the skin.

chopping-ginger

Cut it in half lengthwise and place one half flat-side-down on the cutting board.

Then roughly chop it up, just as you would the carrot.

pureeing-carrot-ginger-dressing

Toss the carrot, shallot, and ginger into a food processor.

Add some white wine vinegar, honey, and bit of water.

Season with salt and pepper.

Pulse until you have a smooth, thick dressing.

sesame-oil

Then pour in some sesame oil and pulse again.

I’m loving sesame oil these days, by the way.

Find it alongside the cooking and olive oils in the grocery.

Sesame oil is a delicious, healthy oil that is full of unsaturated fats (the kind that are good for your heart and help your body to absorb all the vitamins and nutrients in the salad).

It’s also loaded with Vitamin E, a key vitamin for clear, smooth skin and shiny, healthy hair.

rinsing-bibb-lettuc

Next, prepare the salad. Grab a head of Bibb lettuce and pull off all the leaves.

Rinse thoroughly and pat dry with a clean towel.

peeling-cucumber

Use a vegetable peeler or a small pairing knife to remove the skin from a cucumber.

Cut off both ends and cut the cucumber in half lengthwise.

seeding-cucumber

Grab a small spoon and scrape through the center of each half, scooping out and discarding all of the seeds.

slicing-cucumber

Then place one half flat-side-down on the cutting board and cut thin slices.

preparing-avocado

Next, grab an avocado and cut it in half lengthwise. You’ll feel a large pit in the center, just cut around it.

Twist the two sides you’ve cut in opposite directions to pull apart the two halves.

Then use a spoon to scoop out the pit.

peeling-and-slicing-avocado

Cut thin slices of avocado.

And then use the spoon to scoop the avocado from the skin.

avocado-and-lemon

To keep the avocado from turning brown, immediately squeeze some fresh lemon juice all over it.

Cucumber-Avocado-Salad-with-Carrot-Ginger-Dressing

Arrange the lettuce on serving plates and top with heaps of cucumber and avocado slices.

Drizzle on lots of carrot-sesame dressing.

Then top with some yummy toasted sesame seeds.

Avocado-Cucumber-Salad-with-Sesame-Dressing

This salad is unique and wonderfully tasty.

Easy-Avocado-Cucumber-Salad-with-Carrot-Sesame-Dressing

Crunchy cucumber and rich, creamy avocado are a match made in heaven.

And the bold, bright, thick, rich dressing is so flavorful (finally, a tasty salad dressing that’s also healthy and packed with nutrients!)

Here is the complete, printable recipe:

Avocado-Cucumber Salad with Carrot-Sesame Dressing
 
Author: 
Recipe type: Healthy Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches
Total Time: 20 minutes Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 5 minutes Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
  • 1 head Bibb lettuce
  • 2 avocados, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced
  • 2 small cucumbers, peeled, halved, seeded, and sliced
  • 2 small carrots, roughly chopped
  • ½ small shallot, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
  • 2½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 4 tablespoons sesame oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Arrange the sesame seeds on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, or until seeds are lightly golden. Watch carefully as seeds burn quickly!
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. In a food processor, add the carrot, shallot, ginger, vinegar, honey, and water. Pulse until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the sesame oil and pulse again, until well combined.
  4. Break the lettuce leaves off the head and arrange the lettuce on serving plates. Top with cucumber and avocado slices. Drizzle on plenty of dressing. Top with toasted sesame seeds, and serve.

 

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13 Comments

  1. July 10, 2013 / 12:31 pm

    This looks amazing!! I absolutely love Japanese restaurants & their dressing is always amazing. I will definitely be adding this to a meal plan! Thanks 🙂

  2. July 10, 2013 / 1:09 pm

    This looks delicious! I absolutely love avocado in sushi rolls, so I can’t wait to try this salad version!

  3. July 10, 2013 / 4:50 pm

    I feel exotic just looking at this salad, how refreshing 😀

    Cheers
    CCU

  4. July 10, 2013 / 6:51 pm

    This combination of flavores and textures looks amazing and I’m sure it tasted as good as it looks!
    Very summery and fresh, great recipe.

  5. July 11, 2013 / 9:29 am

    I love those rolls and I love that dressing! Great recipe to!

  6. July 11, 2013 / 10:40 am

    What a pretty and different salad. I’m always looking for new ways to serve salad…thanks so much for the recipe.

  7. July 11, 2013 / 5:33 pm

    Jen, I am SO impressed by your blog. This salad looks fantastic! I made pesto with avocado, and this will be a great delicious way to use up the other ones up

  8. July 12, 2013 / 1:50 am

    I love how unique this is!! My hubby and I (especially my hubby!) are completely obsessed with avocado lately. He’d love this!

  9. July 13, 2013 / 10:29 am

    Jen, this is so beautiful …. this I must just try – the colors just draws me into the PC. I will serve it .. with chicken.
    Next weekend … this is up top of my must do list. *smile

  10. July 14, 2013 / 4:09 pm

    So wonderful! Living in a rural setting means I have to do all the ethnic food I got addicted to in cities all by my lonesome! This looks like a perfect summer treat, thanks!

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