Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Published on July 22, 2019

Updated on May 20, 2020

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In the heat of the summer, we are always looking for that refreshing meal, and do I have one for you! My fruit and avocado salad is the perfect lunch to whip up on those days when turning on the oven seems unbearable. In this recipe the stars are black plums with a ruby red flesh, vibrant avocado. I love how the colors in this dish contrast with one another, and when it comes to taste, it really is the perfect combo!

How To Make the Fruit and Avocado Salad

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know my first step to every recipe is to create the mise en place. I highly recommend this step because it makes preparation so much easier. So get all your ingredients out and mince, chop, dice and measure away!

One your mise en place is, well, in place, make the dressing by adding the garlic, red pepper flakes, cilantro and oil to a bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together. From there, add the plums, avocado, juice and zest of one lemon, and a little salt and pepper to the bowl. Mix the ingredients gently and set the mixture aside to allow the flavors to marinate. After about 10 minutes, pour the avocado and plum mixture over a bed of greens and there you have a delicious fruit and avocado salad!

Health Benefits of the Fruit and Avocado Salad

Did you know that avocado is actually a fruit? That makes this salad a great way to get in a few servings of fruit and veggies for the day. In addition, avocados and plums are rich in phytochemicals with benefits ranging from bone health to being protective against cancer (and many other functions in between!) (1, 2).

This fruit and avocado salad is also rich in fiber from the avocado, plums and greens. It is recommended that you consume 14 grams of fiber per every 1,000 calories consumed, so if you consume a 2,000 calorie diet, then that would equate to 28 grams of fiber per day. This salad alone provides about 14 grams of fiber! Research has shown that fiber has benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, and gastrointestinal illness (3).

This is one of my favorite recipes, and I can’t wait for you to try it! Let me know what you think in the comments down below!

Resources

Paul, R., Kulkarni, P., & Ganesh, N. (2011). Avocado fruit (Persea americana Mill) exhibits chemo-protective potentiality against cyclophosphamide induced genotoxicity in human lymphocyte culture. Journal of Experimental Therapeutics and Oncology , 9(3), 221–230. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22070054 (1)

Weaver, C. M., Alekel, D. L., Ward, W. E., & Ronis, M. J. (2012). Flavonoid Intake and Bone Health. Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, 31(3), 239–253. doi: 10.1080/21551197.2012.698220 (2)

Anderson, J. W., Baird, P., Davis, R. H., Ferreri, S., Knudtson, M., Koraym, A., … Williams, C. L. (2009). Health benefits of dietary fiber. Nutrition Reviews, 67(4), 188–205. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2009.00189.x. (3)

Elliott, B. (2017, May 13). 7 Health Benefits of Plums and Prunes. Retrieved March 8, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/benefits-of-plums-prunes#section5

Avocado Plum Salad

4.25 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, Salad

Keyword: avocado, fruit salad, vegan salad, vegetarian salad

Prep Time: 15

Servings: servings

Author: Chef Abbie Gellman RD

Ingredients

1 clove garlic minced
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 avocado diced
4 ripe plums diced (can peel, but I like to leave on for added fiber)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Optional: whole wheat toast and/or baby spinach for serving

Instructions

In a bowl, mix garlic, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. Add oil and mix thoroughly.
Place avocado and plums in the bowl. Add zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and mix gently. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with toast or on a bed of greens.