A little something for (almost) all of your taste buds
I grew up eating Chayote - before they were a trendy food. We ate them fried, baked, boiled and occasionally in soup.
It never occurred to me to eat them in a salad.
I don't know why I didn't consider that. I mean Chayote kind of taste like a crispier cousin of zucchini. Even boiled, they retain the crispiness to a certain extent.
I came across this recipe in a pile of recipes, my grandmother had written on a scrap of paper. I don't know why she never made it. Maybe it sounded too exotic to her.
I couldn't imagine that it wouldn't be good. Olives, avocados, chick peas, chayote, cilantro...what's not to like.
So, I put it together and - oh my!
Salty, savory, soft and crispy...a little something for all of your taste buds in a variety of textures.
For a little more interesting texture, you can put some lettuce or spinach under the salad if you're serving it in separate bowls. This recipe makes about 4 side dish servings or two main dish salads.
Chayote Salad
1 large chayote2 cloves of garlic, smashed
10 Kalamata olives
a can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano (or half a teaspoon of fresh)
1 cucumber, peeled
1 small avocado
¼ cup of fresh cilantro leaves
Dressing
2 tablespoon of olive oil2 tablespoon of lime juice
½ teaspoon of salt
a pinch of chili powder
- Boil the whole chayote with two cloves of smashed garlic and a dash of salt for 30 minutes or until it's tender. Let the squash cool in refrigerator, then peel, remove the pit, and slice.
- Add the olives, the garbanzo beans, and the oregano.
- For the dressing : Whisk the olive oil, the lime juice, the salt, and the chili powder all together.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and let the salad and dressing meld together for several hours.
- Cut the cucumber and the avocado into bite sized chunks and toss them into the salad, being careful not to bruise the avocados.
- Garnish the salad with the cilantro leaves.
Vegan.
