Craving Guacamole Salad

Images from foodnetwork.com

I love to cook and I love the cooking channel. I have to admit - this is still a main reason we haven't cancelled our cable. We discuss it. We hash it out. We plan it. And every time I say, "But I won't get to watch the cooking channel."

When I say this, what I really mean is: "I won't be able to watch Ina Garten on The Barefoot Contessa." She may not be flashy and a hipster, but her recipes are fantastic and they always turn out well. ALWAYS! Besides all of that, she has a really nice speaking voice, it's easy to listen to, and she doesn't treat the audience like they are morons who have never heard of water. Oh - and I LOVE her house. :-) Read her bio here, if you want to learn how she went from working in the White House on nuclear energy policy to food.

I recently caught an episode (new or re-run? I 'm not sure) and she made Guacamole Salad. YUM! I then made it for my Moms birthday and it was a hit. The recipe makes 6 servings, but we were feeding a lot of people, so I doubled the recipe and it still turned out awesome. Here it is (the undoubled recipe):

1 pint grape tomatoes - halved

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded & 1/2 inch diced

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup red onion - small diced

2 tbsp jalapeno - seeded & minced (2 peppers)

1/2 tsp lime zest - freshly grated ( I used more - but I like lime)

1/2 cup lime juice - freshly squeezed ( 2 limes)

1/4 cup good olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper - freshly ground

1/2 tsp garlic - minced

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper - ground

2 ripe Hass Avocados - seeded, peeled, & 1/2 inch diced. ( I suggest prepping these just when your ready to add them, so they don't turn brown.)

Place tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno pepper & lime zest in a large bowl.

Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic & cayenne pepper. P

Pour over the vegetables and toss well.

Just before your ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad, check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.