Jude Salad: The Easiest Italian Salad
When Jude was little, he was so in love with this Italian salad, that he learned how to make it himself, and would even serve it to the babysitter when she came over. We started calling it “Jude Salad” hoping the flattery would keep him interested cooking. So far, it’s worked!
Need I mention it’s a vegan salad!? (I’m hoping that is obvious, but just in case, haha!)
Ingredients:
1 medium cucumber
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
1 lemon
2 tablespoons of EVOO (I like a nutty EVOO and used Zucchi. Incredible flavor!)
Fresh Basil
Instructions:
Slice cucumber. Halve tomatoes. Try your hardest to make pretty squares out of the avocado. If you can’t, no problem. It never looks perfect. Drizzle the lemon juice of 2 slices of lemon, along with the 2 tablespoons of EVOO over everything in a bowl.
I personally don’t even salt it, just pepper, but I think most people prefer salt, so you can try both and tell me what you like best.
We use the remainder of the lemon to flavor our Pellegrino. (Jude’s also obsessed with Pellegrino.)
This salad is ALSO a yummy Italian twist on avocado toast!
(I know this is a major trend right now, but we’ve always eaten avocado toast, and even when the trend dies out, or should I die first, it will be served at my funeral.)
Authentic olive oil is a staple in our house, and can we use just any old olive oil? Nope! Because I’m addicted to the flavors of the oils of Europe. There is so much variety, so you neeeeeddd to find one you love!
Spanish oils are typically golden with a nutty flavor. Italian is often dark green with a more earthy flavor. French oils are typically pale with more mild flavor.
If you still need more help choosing an oil, visit Flavor Your Life – it’s extremely educational! Their mission is to educate North Americans about the benefits of Authentic EVOO, and more specifically European oils!
I’ve followed these general rules for the last 10 years and they haven’t failed me yet:
It must be in a dark glass bottle, and then stored in a dark, cool place.
I only buy small quantities, since I like it to be as fresh as possible since we eat it mostly uncooked and I am a taste snobbbbbbb.
COLD-PRESSED, Extra Virgin. Always.
And European (aka “real”) oils are my most favorite of all! After all, olive oil originated from the European olive trees. The centuries old practices in Europe have clearly perfected the oil process!
I received this product for free from Moms Meet (momsmeet.com) to use and post my honest opinions. Compensation for this post was provided and this page may contain affliate links.
