Has anyone else tried this cookbook from the San Diego Junior League? I got it from the library and photocopied several recipes to try. This is one of my favorite tricks for attempting to keep my cookbook and recipe collection under control.

That’s not to say that the cookbook isn’t worth buying. I actually found a lot of unique and delicious-sounding recipes in there and will probably pick up my own copy some day. The food photography is brilliant and elevates the whole book to a very professional level. It’d be a great gift for any San Diego foodie.

My favorite recipe from California Sol Food has been the Avocado and Tomato Salad. It has everything that I love and usually put into a salad, but the format is kind of different. Basically, you mix the dressing and the salad goodies together and then add the lettuce later. I like to spoon the goodies mixture into the center of a bed of roughly cut baby spinach leaves.

The avocado and goat cheese are dreamy-creamy while the pine nuts add crunch and the dried cranberries give a little chew.

I’ve even improvised on the concept before and used cucumber instead of tomato because that’s what I had on hand. You could switch out the nuts, omit the cheese, use different types of lettuce, and more. I think this is a great recipe concept to have on hand because it looks kind of fancy for company but it couldn’t be easier.

Try it and think of San Diego…

Avocado and Tomato Salad
from California Sol Food Casual Cooking
Serves 4

Dijon Balsamic Dressing:
6 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t mild Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 t salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:
1 small Hass avocado, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes or small vine-ripened, chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 1/2 to 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
1 head butter, red leaf, or green leaf lettuce, torn and chilled
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Vinaigrette: Combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and seal tightly. Shake to mix.

Salad: Toss the avocado, tomatoes, cranberries, pine nuts, and goat cheese with 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette in a salad bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add the lettuce to the salad mixture and toss to coat. Divide the salad evenly among 4 serving plates and sprinkle with pepper. Serve immediately.