This Mexican avocado tomato salad is a very useful vegan salad recipe. Serve it by itself or as a topping on enchiladas or tacos. It’s also keto and low-carb friendly recipe.
Hey, I am back again with a very colorful tomato salad recipe!
I bet you are drooling uncontrollably at this salad, just like me!
This salad is not just here to look pretty! I chose the ingredients deliberately to maximize the nutrient absorption from this vegan salad
Originally published on February 17, 2017 at 7:37pm. Click here to get version 1 of this recipe
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Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the bottom of this post.
- Tomatoes – Tomatoes are a superfood because they are packed with Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Lycopene and potassium. Source: WMMC, Burpee and Cleveland Clinic, along with my discussions with Nutritionists.
- Avocado – Avocado is yet another superfood. It’s biggest nutrition benefits are good fats and potassium. It also has fiber and Vitamin K. The protein and fats work together to help absorb the nutrients in it. Source: Dr. Axe, Mayo Clinic and Nutritionists.
- Avocado Oil – It has the same benefits of avocado and helps flavor the ingredients too.
- Chia seeds – This is the third superfood in this recipe. They are a calcium and protein powerhouse! I always get chia seeds and then grind them up right before adding to this salad. It is simply delicious! Source: Harvard, BBC Good Food and Mayo Clinic.
- Lemon juice – the main reason to have lemon juice in this recipe is to help absorb iron in this recipe.
- Spices – The cumin powder, chili powder, salt and tajin all aid in digestion and also make the salad taste delicious.
So, the next time you are looking for healthy salads with avocado & tomato in them, think of this vibrant salad. You won’t be eating empty calories!
👩🍳 Substitution tip: Don’t have tajin on hand? You can always use lemon pepper. Add a little cayenne pepper because it will add the red color.
How to make tomato avocado salad
- Add the one chopped avocado and ¼ cup julienne red onions to a salad bowl. Put the lemon juice immediately to prevent the avocado from browning.
- Add 1tsp Tajin, 1 tsp Chili powder, 1tsp cumin, ¼tsp pink salt, 1tbsp chia seeds (freshly ground). Salt is optional, but I highly recommend it.
- Add 2 cups of cherry tomatoes (551ml) to the salad. You can half them or keep whole.
- Drizzle the avocado oil and gently mix. You don’t want to smoosh the tomatoes.
This salad is now ready to serve. I like to put it into tacos and burritos.
👩🍳 Additional ingredients: You can add marinated feta cheese, marinated tofu or mozzarella. This will help add Vitamin K2 to this recipe.
Answering common questions
The best way to keep them from browning is by coating them in lime or lemon juice. This will stop the oxidizing process that causes the avocado to brown. You can also use apple cider vinegar.
These two superfoods are the perfect compliment to each other. The good fats in the the avocado help the absorption of the vitamins in tomatoes.
Sadly, no, frozen avocados are not good for any salads. They disintegrate when thawed and loose all their flavor, texture. Frozen avocados are best for smoothies, soups and avocado dressing.
Tomatoes are above-ground fruit and have fiber that will offset some of the carbs in it. One tomato has about 4g carbs and 1.5g fiber. This means that tomatoes have 2.5g of net carbs.
Source: Men’s Health.
🍅 Handy Tip: Use firm tomatoes and firm avocado in this recipe. If the tomatoes are ripe, they will make this a runny salad. Ripe avocados will become mushy just by mixing the ingredients.
Make ahead and storing leftovers
Regrettably, this avocado tomato salad cannot be made ahead. The avocado is the biggest problem in this salad. But, the good news is that this salad takes just 5 minutes to make.
So, I just make sure I have the ingredients on hand and make it when I need it.
If you have leftovers, store them in a glass container so that the acids from the salad don’t react with the container. I like to use these (Affiliate Link) meal prep containers.
Use up this leftover tomato & avocado salad within 1-2 days.
🍅 Handy Tip: Always buy chia seeds whole and grind them as you need. Grinding them makes it easier to absorb them, but ground chia will go rancid quickly.
What to serve with it
This avocado tomato salad will be a great side dish to Cauliflower rice and vegan sausage, stuffed poblano casserole or tofu scramble.
Stay tuned because this recipe is going to be a part of a few exciting recipes that are soon to be posted here.
Try these avocado & tomato recipes
👩🍳 Substitution tip: You can use any kind of tomatoes, just cut them into bite size pieces. You can try sun-dried tomatoes too and let me know how it turns out.
Sharing is caring
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it 5 stars and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube
Easy Avocado & Tomato Salad
Equipment
- Salad bowl
Ingredients
- 1 avocado cut into cubes
- ¼ cup onions julienne
- 2 tsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp tajin
- 1 tsp chili powder adjust to taste
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp salt optional
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds freshly ground
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes whole or halved
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the avocado and onions. Drizzle the lemon juice
- Add the tajin, cumin, salt, chili powder and chia seeds
- Add the tomatoes and avocado oil
- Mix well and serve immediately
Video
Notes
Version 1 of this recipe
This recipe was originally published on February 17, 2017 at 7:37pm. Aside from the horrible pictures, there was also a recipe problem. At that time, I put in cooked tomatoes which destroys some (if not all) of it’s nutrition. That’s fine for sauces, but, not for a salad.
Also, I had put in roasted poblanos which made this salad cook time very long. I wanted to make this a 5 minute salad, so I removed it. If you have time, please add roasted poblano to it because it adds a smoky flavor.
Sandy says
I only have Ground Chia Seeds in a bag. I don’t have whole ones to grind myself. Well that be okay?
Rini says
Ground seeds loose their potency over time and actually become more rancid. That’s because it releases oil during grinding process. Whole chia seeds will last a long time, so I always get those instead. I have a mortar and pestle that I use to hand grind them right when I need it.
Jenn says
This is a GREAT salad! It is light, tangy, herby, and the avos are so good in it! Loved it!
Rini says
Thank you, Jenn
Sarah Walker Caron says
Great tip on grinding the chia seeds. I am always so confused about the best way to include them in healthy recipes. And this salad looks soooo fresh and delightful!
Rini says
Thank you so much, Sarah. Nutritionists have always advised me to eat freshly ground chia seeds instead of whole.
Glenda says
This avocado and tomato salad is my idea of the perfect lunch! Light, refreshing and satisfying. It’s so bright and flavorful and I love that the ground chia seeds helped the citrus and tajin cling to every bite. Beautifully spiced. A new favorite!
Rini says
Thank you, Glenda. I am addicted to Tajin spice, lol.
Anne says
I love this salad! It skips the boring lettuce and just has the tasty veggies.
Rini says
Thank you, Anne. Ha ha! It’s definitely better than boring lettuce salad, lol!!
Kris says
This was so refreshing and flavorful. Light, but filling! The chia seeds were such a nice touch and the kids ate it all which is always a win in my book!
Rini says
Thank you so much, Kris. 🙂