Bean and avocado salad

Creamy Crunchy Bean and Avocado Salad

Hello dear reader,

I have been trying to eat very healthily this month, including lots more vegetables, low fat proteins and healthy fats in my diet.  One of the best sources of protein, which is low in fat and calories, is beans and I wanted to develop a bean salad that was packed full of flavour.  I also wanted it to have a creamy dressing, so it tasted luxurious when I was eating it.  This is achieved by making the dressing from creamy avocado which is rich in monounsaturated fat, known as the healthy fat as it is easily burned off naturally by your body.

Bean and avocado salad

Creamy Crunchy Bean and Avocado Salad – recipe
Serves 2, suitable for vegans

– 8 crisp lettuce leaves, shredded
– 4 cabbage leaves, shredded
– ½ bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
– 2 spring onions, sliced
– 8 olives, chopped
– 400g mixed beans, cooked and rinsed
– ½ avocado
– zest and juice of ½ lime

I have kept the ingredients quite general, so you can adapt this to your favourites.  For my salad I used Little Gem lettuce, Savoy cabbage, orange bell pepper, green olives, black-eyed beans and aduki beans.

In a large bowl, mix together the lettuce, cabbage, pepper, spring onion, olives and beans.  In a small bowl, mash the avocado and mix in the lime zest and lime juice.  Add the dressing into the salad and toss together to mix.  Serve immediately.

Healthy dig in

There are lots of different tasty zings in this salad to delight your tastebuds and it is so crunchy and creamy you won’t feel deprived.  The slow-release energy it provides will keep you going for many hours, without the need to snack.

Vohn

x

P.S.  I am entering my Creamy Crunchy Bean and Avocado Salad into a few blog challenges.

First up is the No Croutons Required blog challenge run by Jac at Tinned Tomatoes and Lisa from Lisa’s Kitchen, with Lisa hosting this month.  This challenge is all about vegetarian soups and salads, so my salad is perfect for it, in fact this salad is suitable for vegans too.

no croutons required

Another challenge I like is the “One ingredient” blogger challenge run by Nazima at Franglais Kitchen and Laura at How to Cook Good Food.  Nazima is hosting this month and instead of the usual one ingredient she has chosen the theme of one way of eating and, of course, after the festive indulgences it has to be Healthy Eating!

One ingredient - January 2014

The Let’s Cook with Green Vegetables challenge is run by Nanya over at Simply.Food.

Lets cook with green vegetables logo

The New U 2014 challenge run by Vardhini over at Cooks Joy, which is all about healthy food for a new you!

New-U logo

Finally a challenge that has been running for several years but which I have only just discovered. My Legume Love Affair was started in 2008 by Susan from The Well Seasoned Cook, is now run by Lisa from Lisa’s Kitchen and is guest hosted this month by Avika at A Day Through My Life.

MLLA April 2014

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23 comments

  1. This looks so delicious and healthy! I am definitely craving this kind of meal now that the weather is improving. I love that it is crunchy and creamy too…great combination of textures! Pinning and sharing!

    • Thanks Kristin. It is now my go-to dish when I’m craving something creamy – keeps me away from the cream cakes! Thanks for commenting, pinning, sharing – so kind! 😀

  2. This would be perfect to send with my husband for lunch. He likes to get on a vegan kick every once in awhile.

    • Great Stephanie. My husband is a confirmed carnivore! I can just about get away with veggie Indian food, as long as I don’t highlight to him that it is meat-free! 🙂

  3. That looks like a delicious salad! I love the avocado in the dressing! Brilliant!

    • Thanks Brandi. I adore avocado and use it frequently – I just wish it didn’t come from so far away. I must have a go at growing it! x

  4. Thanks for participating in MLLA 70. Love the combination.. Fab and healthy 🙂

    • My pleasure Avika. I love my legumes, so I’m sure I’ll be joining in regularly now I’ve found MMLA! 🙂

  5. That is my kind of healthy food 🙂 I love it’s simplicity and it looks so fresh and crunchy.

    • Thanks Anneli! It tastes very fresh and sounds very crunchy! Vohn x

  6. What a beautiful salad. Love the different flavors and textures at play. Thanks for sharing with NCR.

    • Thanks Lisa! It certainly is a noisy crunchy joy to eat! Vohn x

    • Thanks Lorraine! Yes definitely – I started this to eat more healthy foods but I am also losing weight without feeling deprived! 🙂

  7. Avocados are just brilliant aren’t they? So delicious and so good for you too. Great idea to use it as a dressing.

    • Thanks Choclette! I love avocados – Mr Vohn not so keen – more for me then! 🙂

  8. now THAT looks like one healthy and tasty salad… and nicely filling too… it can be so hard to be creative and tasty at this time of the year but you’ve done it for sure!

    • Thanks so much Dom! It was yummy & I didn’t even realise it was vegan until I wrote the blog post! Vohn x

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