Time Is Ripe for Serving Avocado Salad

Press coverage of a recent avocado heist in Temecula revealed that the pockmarked “pears” are the most commonly pilfered produce in California. The suspects in this case allegedly made off with 11,000 pounds of them. That’s a lot of guacamole.

It’s also a lot of potassium, Vitamin A and, sadly, fat, albeit of the monounsaturated variety, which hasn’t been shown to raise cholesterol levels.

I often spread ripe avocado on toast and sandwiches in place of butter or mayonnaise. And because it’s already so rich, I serve it in salads without additional oils.

EARLY SPRING FRUIT SALAD

2 large navel oranges, peeled and sliced into wedges

2 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 large avocado, peeled and thinly sliced

Dressing

Toss oranges, tomatoes and avocado in serving bowl. Pour Dressing over and toss well to coat. Makes 4 servings.

Dressing

1/4 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon grated ginger root

1 teaspoon grated garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon lightly toasted sesame seeds

1 tablespoon minced cilantro, optional

Stir together orange juice, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, paprika, sesame seeds and cilantro in mixing bowl.