Cranberry Avocado Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

A salad you can build in 10 minutes, with a dressing you blend in under a minute, is its own kind of gift on a full day. Greens, avocado, a little onion and cranberry, and a bright raspberry dressing come together into something that feels considered, not rushed.

The avocado is doing quiet work here. It is a source of monounsaturated fat and magnesium, and the fat helps your body absorb the fat-soluble nutrients in the greens while magnesium is involved in the nervous system and energy production. The raspberries in the dressing add polyphenols, and blending your own vinaigrette means you skip the seed oils, gums, and nightshade spices that hide in most bottled dressings.

There is a real gift in how little this asks of you. A few whole ingredients, a blender, a bowl. Before you eat, take a breath and look at the color of it. Even a fast meal can be met with presence, and the calm you bring to it is part of how it nourishes you.

Ingredients

Salad:

• 8 cups mixed greens
• 2 small avocados, sliced or cubed
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries (unsweetened or fruit-juice sweetened, no added sugar)

Dressing (blended):

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 cup raspberries (fresh or thawed)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

The source recipe is AIP-friendly as written. The one thing to check is the dried cranberries, which are usually sweetened with cane sugar; pick unsweetened or fruit-juice-sweetened to keep it clean. The honey in the dressing is the source's natural sweetener and is AIP-friendly in this small amount.

Method

• Toss the mixed greens, avocado, red onion, and dried cranberries together in a large bowl.
• Add the olive oil, honey, raspberries, apple cider vinegar, salt, and ground ginger to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour the dressing over the salad, toss gently so the avocado stays intact, and serve.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*