Just a Simple Salad, Please

For a break from holiday heaviness, try a simple salad of juicy red grapefruit sections and avocado slices atop peppery-flavored watercress.

Grapefruit is low in calories and high in vitamin C. It’s a refreshing yet filling fruit, good to use in salads.

Finish the salad with a citrus vinaigrette that uses grapefruit, orange and lemon juices. A small amount of olive oil, along with fresh herbs and garlic, is enough to give the flavor a boost. Serve this as an accompaniment or a light luncheon salad.

Citrus Salad

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 20 minutes * Vegetarian2 red grapefruit

1/3 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced tarragon

1 tablespoon snipped chives

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 avocado

2 bunches watercress, washed, tough stems removed

Peel and section the grapefruit over a large bowl to catch the juices; cover and chill the sections. Squeeze the juice from the remaining grapefruit membranes.

Pour off 1/3 cup of grapefruit juice from the bowl and combine it with the orange juice, 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, olive oil, tarragon, chives, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Peel the avocado halves then cut the avocado into slices lengthwise. Drizzle the avocado with the remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to prevent it from discoloring.

Divide the watercress among 4 serving plates. Arrange the grapefruit sections and avocado slices on top. Drizzle the citrus dressing over the fruit and greens.

4 servings. Each serving: 124 calories; 100 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 2.45 grams fiber.