Romaine Salad with Radish Sprouts and Avocado
Verdant, crunchy and a little bit spicy - this salad hits all the right notes. When tending my root veggies, I would always dread the thinning process. It seemed like such a waste to throw little seedlings aside, even if they were composted... I grew food to eat food, after all. Thinning is the process of removing plants to allow for others to grow in a row or area. By thinning radish sprouts, you allow for the radishes to fully develop to maturity by weeding out the competition. But save these little gems [as well as thinnings from beets, lettuces, and carrots] for eating, as I found out, they are an amazing addition to salads!
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 romaine heart, chopped
1 small white onion, halved and sliced
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
1 cup of radish sprouts
1/4 cup walnuts
1 cup croutons (I absolutely love Vermont's Olivia's Croutons Butter & Garlic combo - YUM!)
Note: Make sure to wash all lettuces thoroughly to rid leaves of dirt, bugs and bacteria. I have a large salad spinner that I absolutely love and use constantly throughout the year. They are remarkably easy to use and clean, and you can get a large salad on the table in less than 10 minutes. Radishes will have a bit more dirt on their roots, but give them a bath in a bowl of cold water and the grit will fall to the bottom.
Directions
1. In a large shallow bowl, combine romaine, onion and radish sprouts. Top salad with avocado, walnuts and croutons.
Serve with your favorite dressing. Vidalia Onion or Poppyseed would both be lovely.
