Watercress and Grilled Pineapple Salad with Avocado and Sour Orange Dressing

This is from the book Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry.

Time/Servings:
Total Time: 23 mins
Active Time: 15 mins
Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 large bunch of watercress, trimmed
3/4 cup chopped pineapple, grilled and cooled
1 small carrot, shredded

For the dressing:

1/2 Hass avocado
Juice of 2 sour oranges, or juice of 1 orange and 1 lime (to make 1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

For the salad:

1. Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. When it’s hot, throw in the pepitas and roast, moving them continuously for about 2 minutes, or until the seeds are just starting to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool to room temperature.

2. Combine the watercress, pineapple, and carrot in a large bowl.

For the dressing:

1. Combine the avocado, citrus juice, maple syrup, olive oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and black pepper to taste in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. With the motor running, add 1/4 cup of cold water in a thin stream until the dressing reaches the desired consistency, then stop. Open the top and taste the dressing. Adjust the seasonings.

2. To serve, toss the salad and divide into 4 servings. Pour on the dressing and sprinkle the pepitas over each serving. Leftover dressing may be refrigerated for up to 5 days.


Note from shesthecheese: I couldn't find sour oranges so I substituted the juice of a regular orange and a lime like the authors suggested. That worked fine. Next time I'd use less maple syrup as I found the dressing a touch too sweet. I would also double up on the garlic. While I do recommend the salad I can't recommend the book overall.