We’re obviously not vegetarians. In fact, we eat vegetables mostly in the form of salads or appetizers and not like, “Oh, we’re going to have veggies tonight!” kinda thing. When we do have them, we make the best of the occasion both in flavor and in presentation. We are LOOKavores^® after all: we eat with our eyes first. [Don't bother Googling the word, I just made it up.]

These days having food magazines at home is almost like having menus from restaurants at our coffee table and ordering cooking what we want. In the February Bon Appétit issue they have a salad called Asian Spinach Salad with Orange and Avocado, which we thought looked and sounded delicious. So we tried it.

You know us by now and our penchant for substituting what we have with what’s called for in the recipe. This time, I replaced the sesame oil with Liostasi** which is a soy/olive oil mix, and for the avocado we just got what was at the store, most probably a Haas avocado.

The results?

A very light and refreshing salad that is quite filling. [I can have this for dinner on its own.] Biting into the different textures and flavors of orange, avocado, and spinach is a wonderful experience in itself. Just imagine how good the oil-based dressing with shallots, ginger, and rice vinegar is. It’s absolutely delicious! And the good thing: you can have it in no time.

Dan made Herb Crusted Flat Iron Steak that night and it was perfect with the salad! Add wine. Voila! Homemade dinner that’s so satisfyingly good!

Here’s the recipe for you to try at home:

Spinach Salad with Orange and Avocado
[recipe adapted from February 2008 Bon Appétit (p.43); also available online.]

Ingredients for 2 servings

• 1 tbsp finely chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/8 tsp (generous) Liostasi oil**
• 1/2 navel orange
• 3 oz baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 avocado, pitted, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

Preparation

1. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.
2. Cut off peel and white pith from orange. Cut orange into 1/3-inch rounds; cut rounds crosswise in half. Add spinach to dressing; toss to coat. Add avocado and orange; toss gently.

** Liostasi – This oil is an oil mix of 90% soy oil, and 10% pomace oil. This was given by Dan’s dad and I couldn’t find any link to it and have never seen it in stores. On the label of the bottle, the website given is hfo.gr. If you ever find this buy it! We highly recommend it.