Off The Counter: The ABC Salad

Before the last long weekend of the summer comes to an end,  I'd like to share with you the avocado, beet and cucumber salad I've been obsessed with lately.  Combining salty cucumbers, boiled golden beets and firm avocados with a bit of fresh mint, this salad transitions perfectly from this season to the next.  Ingredients and instructions below.

Ingredients:

Golden beets, California avocados, Persian cucumbers, mint, salt, pepper, olive oil and seasoned rice vinegar.

Instructions:

Chop the cucumbers (peeled or not), salt and let stand while you prepare the remaining ingredients.  Trim the stems and leaves off the beets and boil till they're just slightly soft.  Run the beets under cool water and peel.  Once the beets are completely cooled, dice them and put in a salad bowl.  Add cucumbers and diced avocados.  Sprinkle in some fresh mint leaves.  Season with olive oil, rice vinegar, salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!

Off The Counter: The Classic Cobb Salad

This week's Off The Counter is inspired by an old favorite, the Cobb Salad.  It was  a staple of ours years ago but only recently have we integrated it back into our culinary repertoire.  It could be the perfect summer meal:  light,  filling and good for you at the same time.  Ingredients and instructions below.  Take a look at this classic:

Ingredients:

Baby spinach, blue cheese, bacon, hard boiled eggs, avocado, dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.

Instructions:

Cook the bacon and boil the eggs. We like it with lots of eggs so we use 3-4.  Combine with the spinach, blue cheese and avocado.  Salt and pepper to your liking.  For the dressing mix olive oil, some dijon mustard, juice from a lemon and salt and pepper.  Drizzle on top and toss.  Enjoy!

Do YOU have a favorite go-to salad?