no-cook radish and greens salad with a blended avocado-citrus dressing

Bringing something to a gathering gets complicated fast during the elimination phase, and 'creamy' dishes are usually the first ones you pass on, since most versions run on dairy. This dressing solves that by blending a whole avocado into orange and lime juice instead of reaching for anything from a carton. It comes out rich enough that nobody at the table asks what is missing.

The citrus earns its place beyond flavor. Vitamin C from the orange and lime juice supports collagen formation, part of the same repair work your gut lining leans on right now. Add the avocado's fat, and the dressing is nourishing on its own terms, not just a vehicle for the greens underneath it.

Radishes give the bowl its crunch and a clean, peppery bite, standing in for actual pepper, which is a nightshade and does not belong here. It is a small trick, and it works.

Make the dressing the night before if the flavors need to settle, then build the salad right before you serve it: pale green dressing, dark leaves, the pink edge of a sliced radish. A dish this color-forward is easy to feel good about serving.

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 1 avocado (the second one goes in the salad)
• 2 green onions
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the salad:

• 4 cups mixed greens
• 4 radishes, sliced
• 1 avocado, chopped

Method

Blend one avocado with the green onions, orange juice, olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and ground ginger until creamy and smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the mixed greens, sliced radishes, and the second chopped avocado together.

Dress to taste and serve chilled. This is intentionally a small, dressing-heavy side; double everything to make it a main.

If you are packing it to travel, keep the dressing with the chopped avocado in one container and the greens separate, then combine just before serving. The citrus in the dressing keeps the avocado from browning.

*Adapted from acleanplate.com*