Kermit said it best: It’s not easy being green.  I love a colorful table. Vegetables of different colors each contain high amounts of different vitamins and nutrients, and dietitians and nutritionists will recommend eating from the different categories of fruits and vegetables. Red, orange and yellow, blue and purple, and of course green vegetables all contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.  Usually, I like to mix them up. I even throw yellow pepper into classic Israeli salad. Sometimes, though, you just need something clean and green.

This salad is all green, and it tastes even better than it looks, thanks to the creamy avocado dressing. My green leafy base is Romaine lettuce, but spinach would work well in this salad, too. I added parsley, cucumber, avocado chunks, and crunchy green pumpkin seeds for a variety of textures. The starring flavor in this salad is the lemony avocado dressing, which also makes the salad more filling. One color but tons of taste!

It's not easy being green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over 'cause you're
Not standing out like flashy sparkles in the water
Or stars in the sky

If you pass this salad over for the ones full of fruits, nuts, and crushed Doritos, you will be sorry.

When green is all there is to be
It could make you wonder why, but why wonder why
Wonder, I am green and it'll do fine, it's beautiful
And I think it's what I want to be

Green Salad with Avocado Dressing
4 generous servings

For the salad:
3 cups Romaine lettuce, torn OR baby spinach leaves
1 cup parsley, chopped
2 small cucumbers, sliced
1/2 large, ripe avocado, cubed
1/4 cup  green pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

For the dressing:
1/2 ripe avocado
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Cut salad ingredients and put in large bowl.
2. Put dressing ingredients in good processor or blender and process until smooth. Don’t try to save time by skipping the lemon zest because it adds soooo much flavor. Likewise, the garlic should be crushed so you don’t end up with chunks that the blender blades missed.

   Enjoy!

Avocado fan? Try these recipes:

Ratatouille-Inspired Mediterranean Grain Bowl

Sunny Avocado Salad

Vegan Burritos with Easy Refried Beans