Avocado Cream and Pomegranate Salad in christmas colours

Christmas is reining the year in to a holly jolly close and thought I’d try something random and Christmassy-that’s void of too much effort …lest it add to our already frenetic and mind-boggling tasks of procuring presents for the X’mas season!

The obvious fuss free choice was salads. We love our greens and the great thing about salads is you can throw in pretty much what you have dangling in the fridge for a nutritious munch. For this, we had some ripened avocados and pomegranates, donning the official colours of X’mas, which were just begging to be whipped up. Further to that, the kind folks at Nature’s Glory sent us a bottle of Dr Bronner’s Fresh Pressed Virgin Coconut oil to experiment with, which couldn’t make a better X’mas gift for this budget mama.

Certified organic to USDA National Organic Program standards, Dr. Bronner’s Fair Trade & Organic Whole Kernel Virgin Coconut Oil IS health food. Cold-pressed from fresh, carefully dried coconuts, and can be used as an alternative to butter and other oils for stir-frying, making sauces, and baking. Increasingly, doctors and nutritionists are now recognizing coconut oil as an oil that may offer many health benefits ranging from improving good cholesterol, digestion, brain health and improving thyroid function. Read more here: http://www.natures-glory.com/sub_toiletries_details.asp?ProductSID=7081&CatSID=114

This dressing is super simple to make, gluten free and dairy free. It is also really versatile: use it over a salad, in slaw, as a sauce for pasta or grains, as a dip for crackers, and so on. It would even be great as a sauce on tacos or a spread on sandwiches. A little kick of cumin to raise the heat slightly and a nice tartness with the lime and apple cider vinegar. Of course, the VCO binded it well together with a nice consistency and mildly sweet fragrance.

Creamy Avocado Dressing – Gluten-free + Dairy-free

1 large (or 2 small) ripe avocado
1/4 cup Dr Bronner’s Fresh Pressed Virgin Coconut oil
1 handful fresh cilantro
1tsp cumin powder
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp lime juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water (you may want more if you want it thinner)
Blend together in blender till smooth and spoon over salad!

Salad: lettuce, cucumber, cherry toms?

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Good news for those who like the benefits of coconut oil or who are racking their brains for a meaningful family gift:

**Nature’s Glory is offering a clearance promotion which offers 1 large bottle of whole kernel Dr. Bronner’s Coconut Oil at $39.80 + a small bottle worth $21.90 free!**

For reading on the many benefits of coconut oil:http://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/