Avocado, Grapefruit and Pomegranate Salad

I owe this tangy, satisfying salad all to my husband.  I’ll be the first to admit that these days, when I think about what to make for dinner, I think about meat. Mmmm, meat. That sometimes has the unfortunate side-effect, however, of leaving my vegetarian hubby out in the cold. Being that I’ve only recently come to enjoy the greener spectrum of foods, P.J. has been a great resource for figuring out tasty new veggie-friendly dishes, and he’s always game to experiment with whatever’s fresh.

On this particular occasion, we had been to the Farmers Market that morning and picked up some yummy local pomegranates…inspiration! This salad is his creation… it’s got a really nice tang to it, and the pomegranate seeds and almonds add a nice crunch of texture.  Follow the jump for the recipe!

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The Table Setting: Fun Linens, Tealights, and White Hydrangea Blooms in Short Water Glasses

I LOVE a good dinner party.  Seriously.  I honestly can’t imagine what I enjoy more on a weekend night than having friends in our home, eating food we’ve prepared, drinking good wine, and having a great time. Pre-Paleo, this was a pretty regular occurrence: whether it was hors d’oeuvres for 30 for my husband’s birthday or an intimate multi-course meal, I reveled in cooking for others. (We’ll just ignore the fact that my typical menus included bread-and-cheese trays, fried risotto balls, Italian pasta with cream sauce, and loads of gluten-rich baked goods. No one needs to know… it’s our little secret.)

In fact, one of my original reasons for resisting the change to a Paleo lifestyle was that I wasn’t sure I could still create delicious, gourmet food that was both Paleo and appetizing to our guests.  I couldn’t have been more off-base!  The Paleo lifestyle has such an incredible range of possibilities for creating incredible food, and I’m beyond excited to keep experimenting.

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Since switching to a Paleo diet in April of 2011 (about 3 months ago), I have quite literally eaten more salad than the entirety of my life leading up to this point. Seriously.  I was not a salad eater, and I would pretty much only eat them when it would be socially awkward/unacceptable to avoid it (i.e. weddings and business dinners).

That said, when my coach told me I needed to eat a full serving of veg with every meal (of five) of the day, I figured salad would be a good place to start (no cooking, quick to prepare in the morning, etc.).  I tried a bunch of different greens, and I’ll admit, I’m still working my way into some of the more serious greens (kale, spinach, etc.). That said, I’ve learned that I LOVE Romaine lettuce.  Never thought I’d say that.

I keep my salad pretty simple for every day, but I’ll periodically dress it up with whatever fun veggies we pick up at the fantastic Austin Farmer’s Market (downtown, Saturday mornings).  Here’s what I do every day…

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