Southern Protocol

I’m a firm believer that your taste buds change every few years, because I used to be really put off by guacamole, and now I love it! I especially love this version a friend always makes; every party we have she’s assigned to make it. Mainly because I crave it…

The big twist? There’s fruit in it! Grapes! Pears! Pomegranates! Let me tell you, it’s a wonderful twist.

Winter Guacamole (but please make it all year round!)
~4 avocados, chopped (or more, depending on the amount of guacamole you want)
1/2 red onion, chopped
Red grapes, halved, to taste
Pomegranates (pre-cut from produce departments are the best)
1 white pear, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
Sea salt, to taste
Cilantro, to taste
Fresh lime juice of one lime

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!

We’re getting closer and closer to warm weather, meaning we’re also getting closer and closer to beach season and light clothing. So we figured we’d start your week off with a healthy, delicious, filling salad. At the risk of sounding like Ina Garten on Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa, it’s a relatively simple, low-prep recipe – so be sure to use the best quality of ingredients to make it truly mouthwatering.

Argulua and Pear Salad with Toasted Walnuts (4 servings)
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups baby arugula leaves
2 Bosc pears, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl; whisk to combine. Add arugula and pears to bowl; toss to coat. Place about 1.5 cups salad on each of four plates, then sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

The recipe, courtesy of Myrecipes.com, even comes with nutritional info:
168 calories
12.5 g of fat (all good fat!)
2.6 g of protein
15.1 g carbs
3 g fiber

(To toast your own walnuts: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place walnuts in single layer on baking sheet, bake for 5-10 minutes. Halfway through, shake pan a bit. Remove and chop into desired size pieces!)

Enjoy!