Avocado and Watercress Salad with Green Beans

By SippitySup

This salad has lots of great tastes and textures. Avocado, cucumber, green beans, watercress and mint combine for a very fresh and exciting recipe. To keep watercress fresh, wrap it in damp paper towels and put it in a plastic bag. It may be stored this way for 4 days, then just before making the salad re-crisp the watercress by soaking it in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe, creamy avocado, such as Hass
• juice of one lemon
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for boiling water
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
• 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced thinly
• 1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed
• 1/2 cup whole mint leaves, loosely packed
• lemon wedges as garnish

Preparation

Step 1

Prepare an ice water bath; set aside.

Halve, peel and pit the avocado, cutting it into 1/2″ chunks. Put the avocado into a serving bowl large enough for the finished salad. Whisk together shallot, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil until well emulsified and creamy. Pour the mixture over the avocado and toss them until well coated so they do not discolor.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt. Blanch the green beans until tender-crisp, 4-5 minutes. Immediately transfer them to the ice-bath to stop cooking. Drain well, and add them to the bowl with the avocado, followed the cucumber slices, watercress, and mint leaves. Gently toss until the salad is evenly dressed. Season with salt and pepper and serve with additional lemon wedges.