Disclosure: I developed this recipe in partnership with Gourmet Garden, who compensated me for this post. All opinions remain my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that rock my world!

With all this 90-degree heat lately, I think it’s safe to say that summer has arrived. Which is a shame for my garden because I am nowhere near ready to wrangle the weeds and start fresh. If you follow me on Snapchat (which you should, if you like complete nonsense and playing with filters), then you got a glimpse of that chaos. I was worried about the mint taking over, but the sage has become my nemesis. How the heck did it spread to 1/3 of my raised bed in one season? And the Brussels sprouts that my son wanted me to grow last year? The ones we never harvested because they were too small in October, but kept growing through most of the mild winter? The dog kept eating them off the stalk, so I never cut them down… and now, these funky flowers are growing out of them. It’s a pretty mess, but a mess, all the same.

Still, it’s weird not gardening this year. I probably won’t find any time to start it since I have a press trip next weekend to Colorado and then I’m heading to Nantucket the following weekend. I’ll have to live with what’s happening on its own this year, and plan better next year. That means I have the makings for pitcher after pitcher after pitcher of mojitos and Strawberry Mint Tequila Smashes, and my turkey will be awesome in November. (What else do you do with sage? I love the way it smells, but I never cook with it.) There’s a tiny bit of thyme, which is a pity because I really do like experimenting with that. Have you tried my Blueberry Thyme Preserves? But that’s about it. I’ll have to rely heavily upon Gourmet Garden this year.

Thanks to Gourmet Garden, I don’t have to worry about my lack of cilantro. (Or the fact that I’m terrible at growing it anyway. Every year it goes to seed and dies before July. Ugh.) I keep a tub of their Lightly Dried Cilantro in my fridge at all times for the perfect finishing touch. Or, in this case, to feature as the star ingredient. No trouble at all. Just the pure enjoyment.

And pure enjoyment, this is. I’m eternally trying to incorporate more vegetables in my diet. Avocado Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette makes that easy. And avocado? It makes everything so creamy and rich. It took me a while to jump on the avocado band wagon, but I’m a true fan now!

Avocado Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Carrie @ poet in the pantry

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Course Salad

Servings 4 -6

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 medium lime
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Cilantro
1 English cucumber diced small
1 bell pepper seeded and diced small
4 small tomatoes seeded and diced small
2 avocados chopped
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Gourmet Garden Lightly Dried Cilantro

Instructions

In a pint mason jar, combine the lime juice, vinegar, EVOO, and 2 teaspoons cilantro. Cover tightly and shake vigorously. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, and avocados. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the vinaigrette prepared earlier. Toss, then sprinkle with the remaining cilantro.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve immediately.