Avocado Salad

 The days are getting shorter and the weather is cooling down so I feel like eating avocados is my way of clinging to the last days of summer.  Avocados are the ideal summer veg companion - they will go perfectly with those late summer corn and tomatoes that are flooding your garden and farmers market right now.  I hope you weren't misled by the title of this post though - we made more of an avocado garnish than a salad.  We think that it adds just enough creaminess and zing to the dish.  This is such a simple yet nutritious meal, we hope you enjoy it!

Cook two servings of your favorite rice.  We always have leftover rice in the fridge so we just heated some in the microwave, but we put this step first just in case you needed to cook your rice.  By the time your rice is done cooking you should be done with all of the other steps.

Avocado salad:
One ripe avocado
The juice from half of a lime
A big pinch of salt

Remove the skin and pit from the avocado.  Cut into half-inch cubes.  Remove one third of the avocado to a bowl and mash with a fork.  Add lime juice and salt to mashed avocado and mix well.  Toss the "sauce" with the rest of the cubed avocado and set aside.

Corn and Tomatoes:
One cup corn kernels
Two small plum tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced onion
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Saute onion in olive oil for a few minutes, until soft.  Add the diced tomatoes and cook until the juices have mostly evaporated.  Add the corn and cook until just done - don't overdo it!  Set aside.

Drain and rinse well one can of black beans.  Beans are full of fiber and really quite filling so I find that the whole can is too much for just two people.  I usually set aside some to eat later.  Put as many beans as you want into a bowl and microwave until warm (make sure to cover the bowl with something so that contain any mini explosions!).

Layer your meal - rice first, then beans, corn and finally top with the avocado salad.  Wasn't that easy??