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side dish

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado

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There are very few things I love more than a nice, fresh salad. I find that I will happily fill up on fresh produce over something sweet if it is on hand and doing that is so helpful to control sugar cravings. This Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado always hits the spot.

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado

This tomato cucumber salad is a twist on a classic. The addition of avocado really takes it to another level. I love avocado so I add it to anything I can and it is absolutely amazing in this.

Avocado makes this filling enough that it works for a light lunch. Make it ahead of time and you’ll have something ready to grab when you are short on time. The high vinegar content keeps the avocados from going brown for a day or two so it will keep just fine for a lunch.

I have a horrible sweet tooth, so cutting sugar out of my diet is a struggle. Spicy food makes me crave sugary deserts but foods that are acidic, like this one with its vinegar base, really do a fabulous job at knocking out sugar cravings for me.

I have no idea why, but it works and this is a fresh and healthy snack/meal/side dish so it works for me.

This salad is so quick to throw together and it’s always a favorite.

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado Ingredients

  • 1 large English cucumber, sliced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 Avocado, diced
  • 1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado

Tomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado

Slice your cucumber then quarter the slices. I leave the skin on, but you could peel your cucumber if you’d prefer.

Slice your grape tomatoes in half.

Half your avocado, remove the pit, and peel off the avocado skin. With the flat side down, slice the avocado into cubes.

Slice the onion in thin slices and separate the pieces.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Gently toss the cucumber, tomatoes, onion slices, and avocado with the dressing.

You can serve this right away or let it sit in the fridge for a few hours so the flavors can come together.

 

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

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Cauliflower rice is a great low-carb, gluten-free option for stir fry or other dishes you’d usually use rice for. Not sure how to make cauliflower rice? Don’t worry! It’s easy! We’ll walk you through exactly what you need to do to make cauliflower rice at home. It is so easy to make and it is way fresher (and cheaper) than pre-made cauliflower rice you can find at the grocery store.

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

When I first making the switch to a lower carb diet, cauliflower rice was the best discover. It tastes so good and, while not identical to rice, is a great substitute. It’s perfect in our Weeknight Ragú or as a substitute for rice in this Stovetop Picadillo.

A few of my kids actually like it better than rice, so I use it all the time because I love that they are getting some extra veggies in.

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

I can make enough for my family of 8 with one head of cauliflower. If I want extras, sometimes I’ll use 2 but 1 really does make quite a bit.

You don’t need any fancy tools to make this. I use a food processor but a blender would work as well.

For any sugar-free kitchen, I really recommend this Ninja Kitchen System. It’s perfect when you are trying to work more whole foods in your diet. We use it for smoothies, sauces, quick protein shakes, cauliflower rice, and more. We’ll make spiralized veggies with this too as an alternative to pasta, like these Zoodles with Spinach Pesto.

Ninja Kitchen System

The first few times I used cauliflower rice in my cooking, I bought pre-made cauliflower rice at the store. This was hit-or-miss for me as far as quality. Some was great and some was just off. It was a bit pricey for small portions too so I just find it easier to make my own.

Once you see how easy this is, you’ll want to do the same.

Cauliflower Rice Ingredients

  • Cauliflower, one head
  • 2 Tbsp. butter (or other oil of your choice)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Cauliflower Rice Preparation

Start by chopping your cauliflower into large florets. Don’t worry about getting them too small or even. These just need to be small enough to fit into your food processor.

Cauliflower Rice

Fill your food processor with your cauliflower florets. I do this in batches. Don’t overfill your food processor or it won’t chop evenly.

This is what I love about the Ninja Kitchen System. I use the same base and just pop the food processor attachment on it. The auto IQ sense that I’m using the food processor and gives me options based on that.

Fill the food processor, seal the lid, and set it to “chop”.

Let this go until your cauliflower has been chopped into rice-sized pieces.

Cauliflower Rice in a food processor

Work in batches until you have riced all your cauliflower.

Next step is to cook your cauliflower rice. You can steam this. My favorite way is to cook it in a frying pan because I feel like you get more flavor out of it.

In a large frying pan, melt 1-2 Tbsp. of butter on med-high heat.

Add your riced cauliflower and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the cauliflower is slightly toasted.

Cauliflower Rice

Sever with any dish you’d usually eat with rice. We love cauliflower rice and make it at least a few times a week.

It’s great as leftovers too so make plenty!

Cauliflower Rice