I was recently introduced to a beautiful poem by Frank O’Hara that begins:

“Light clarity avocado salad in the morning”

I immediately fell in love with the verse and then started dreaming of avocado salads. There are so many possibilities. For this salad, the juicy watermelon is a nice compliment to creamy avocado slices, and the fresh lemon, mint, and basil add a brightness that is perfect for the morning.

Here are some of my other “avocado salad in the morning” ideas. Perhaps I’ll be making more avocado salads soon…

Avocado + Strawberry + Basil + Lemon

Avocado + Roasted Garlic + Cherry Tomato + Olive Oil

Avocado + Arugula + Lemon + Walnuts + Olive Oil

Avocado + Mango + Sticky Coconut Rice + Black Sesame

Avocado + Grapefruit + Ginger + Macadamia Nuts

Avocado + Watermelon + Heirloom Tomato

Avocado + Braised Kale + Croutons

Avocado + Grilled Pineapple + Mint

I could go on and on…

Read on for the Watermelon, Avocado and Fresh Herb Salad recipe.

This recipe is pretty forgiving so you can just add ingredients to taste : )

Ingredients:

3 cups cubed watermelon

2 Tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, divided

1/2 Tablespoon fresh mint, minced

1/2 Tablespoon fresh basil, minced

3 ripe avocados, sliced

juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt, or sea salt (or more to taste)

1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or more to taste)

Instructions:

In a medium sized mixing bowl, toss the watermelon with 1 Tablespoon avocado oil or olive oil, a little lemon zest, and fresh minced herbs. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and chili powder. Top with sliced avocado. Squeeze lemon juice over the avocado, followed by the rest of the oil and more lemon zest. Sprinkle the remaining salt and chili powder on top.

To make the salad more substantial add diced heirloom tomatoes, or serve on top of fresh greens.

If you don’t feel like cutting up a melon, just put some fresh herbs, salt, lemon juice, and chili powder right on the avocado, scoop and enjoy!