I have always had a love for guavas or guayabas, but this year I can’t seem to get enough of them. We are still spending time at my parents’ house in Mexico and guavas are in season right now. My kids are eating crazy amounts of them and I have started looking for other ways to use them. This week we came up with this Spinach Avocado Jicama salad with guava dressing. Baby spinach, creamy avocado, crisp jicama, juicy orange segments, and toasted pistachios are tossed with a sweet and tart guava dressing.
I’m happy to report that homeschooling is going great! Now that we are surrounded by family, I feel more supported, and my rowdy 7 yr. old has finally gotten around to accepting that mom is the teacher for now. Of course, we still have difficult days with a lot of whining, mostly from him, but sometimes from me. The great thing about it is that if we’re both having a bad day we can stop and move on to other activities as we please. It’s already January, which means that we have been doing this for 6 months! Honestly I didn’t think I was going to last this long.
We are hoping to relocate to San Antonio or Austin to be close to family. I’m excited about having access to more Mexican ingredients, and to create tons of new recipes inspired by our new home. The sale of our book Vegan Tamales Unwrapped is going great, and this makes me wonder if I should write another book. A reader suggested I should write a book on Vegan Pan Dulce, and I have to say that seems like a pretty good idea to me!
The Recipe: Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad
You can use mixed greens or kale instead of spinach for the salad. Pecans and cashews would also be a good substitutes for pistachios.
Spinach Avocado Jicama Salad with Guava Dressing
Ingredients
Guava Dressing
- 4 Guavas, seeds taken out, chopped
- 1/4 cup Orange juice
- 1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar
- 1 clove Garlic, small
- 1/2 cup Water
Salad
- 1 package (6 oz.) Baby spinach, washed
- 2 Oranges, peeled, cut into segments
- 1 Avocado, sliced
- 1 cup Jicama, cut into matchsticks
- 1/4 cup Chopped pistachios, roasted
Preparation
Guava Dressing
Place the guava, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and water in the blender and process until smooth. If the dressing is too thick add a little more water or orange juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Salad
Combine all the ingredients for the salad and toss with guava dressing. Sprinkle with the toasted pistachios. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chef's Notes
You can use mixed greens or kale instead of spinach for the salad. Pecans and cashews would also be a good substitutes for pistachios.
