RECIPE | Celebrate avo season with an avo salad with white beans and sun-dried tomatoes

It's no surprise trendsetters went green when voting for their top foods in the recently released Top 10 Healthy Food Trends to Expect in 2023, in which the avocado comes highly rated. And it's just in time for the season, meaning there are lots of avos in-store, with a much lower price tag for a whole bundle of goodness.

The list explains how the phenomenon of plant-based eating is sweeping the globe, inspiring a wealth of ways to feature fruits and vegetables as the heroes in our daily eating. And adding more plants to your plate doesn’t have to mean you are vegan or vegetarian, just someone who seeks a more healthy lifestyle, which comes with the bonus of being kinder to the planet.

Avos are given the big tick as “mood-boosting” and “food for your gut”, among many other benefits. The beauty of the fruit lies in its versatility — it can easily be breakfast, lunch and supper, as demonstrated by the delicious, simple salad we share below. Apart from all the goodness of this meatless meal, the good news is the making of it doesn't need to be powered by Eskom, another reason to enjoy avocado.

AVOCADO, WHITE BEAN AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO SALAD

Serves: 4

Prep: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 large, ripe avocados

30ml (2 tbsp) avocado or olive oil

125ml (½ cup) spring onions, chopped

30ml (2 tbsp) salted capers, rinsed

Fresh basil leaves to taste

120g (1 cup) pitted green olives, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

60ml (¼ cup) red-wine vinegar

1 chilli, diced (optional)

1 x 410g can white beans, drained

120g (1 cup) marinated sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

200g cherry tomatoes, rinsed

Microgreens to garnish

Method:

Cut the avocados in half and remove the stones.
Place the oil, spring onions, capers, basil, olives, garlic, vinegar and chilli into a bowl and mix to combine.
Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and spoon into the avocado halves, drizzle with the olive mixture. Serve with crusty bread.