Avocado Springtime Salad

Okay, so technically, we were eating this salad on the first day of summer, but that's splitting hairs.  This is a great hot weather dish, too.  For added robustness, you can add grilled chicken or grilled shrimp to this salad, and you have a light, but filling summer dinner.

This is another recipe from a cookbook my Number One Fan bought me a as a Valentine's Day gift called Inter-Courses - an aphrodisiac cookbook published in 1997 by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge.

Ingredients

1 medium head of butter lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 small avocado, peeled and chopped
10-14 grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup red onion, finely minced
4 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely minced
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 pack Splenda
1/2 tsp crushed garlic
6 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

The Recipe

Place the torn lettuce in a large serving bowl.  Add the avocado, tomato, pine nuts, red onion, cheese and cilantro.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard, Splenda and garlic, then slowly add the olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper, then add the dressing to the salad, toss and serve.