Oh boy!!! It has been a HOT HOT January thus far, SUPER DUPER HOT – a HUGE contrast to my last 2 Januaries in Toronto. Well, just my luck that we have to be here this January and of course, Dear Toronto, I just can’t wait to reunite again soon aye! I’m already imagining myself ‘basking’ in the snow ❆, embracing the negative temperatures and just stuffing myself with heaps of food, yummy food!
Of course, not forgetting all that Winter weight I accumulate and then complaint about! Hmmmm… Winter weight – that would be one reason why I wouldn’t like the cold weather, other than that, I really do not mind. Although at times, my skin can get really dry in the cold weather, as long as I keep up with that moisturizer, my skin behaves really well in the cold weather, unlike all the crazy things that can happen to my skin in the warm HOT Aussie climate. Somehow, I feel that the Australian sun is worse than the sun anywhere else in the world! Duh Beaaaaa… there’s only one Sun in the whole wide world, as silly as it sounds, I stay firm on my take that the Australian Sun does more damage to my skin as compared to the sun anywhere else in the world! Period!
Being in a warm climate somehow affects my appetite – too hot to even eat anything sometimes. Summer can be rather crazy in Australia! Oh well, we all gotta suck it up and live on I guess. Well, when it’s too hot to even eat anything, all I can ever think of preparing for my meals is normally Salads and more Salads, pasta salads, chicken salads, seafood salads…….. You name it, I’ve probably tried it, on one hot day or another 😛
Well, yesterday was yet another too hot to eat day and my tummy was rumbling yet I still couldn’t eat, if you get what I even mean, oh well, that was when I decided to make this Fusilli Salad. I actually added heaps of lemon juice from fresh lemon for that tangy zest which somehow killed all my thirst for the day!
One of my favourite ingredients in this salad apart from Avocado is the Red Radish – another super refreshing ingredient in this warm climate, apart from good old Cucumber. My love for Cucumbers is just super unconditional – well we’ll talk about my undying love for Cucumbers next time. Meanwhile, if you’re also in that ‘too-hot-to-even-eat anything’ mode, here’s something to consider. This Fusilli Avocado Salad is definitely a ‘pick-me-up’ on those SUPER WARM days!
Ingredients
- 1 box Fusili Pasta
- 2 Cups Swiss Chard Washed and drained
- 1/2 - 1 lemon juice
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 1 box Grape Tomatoes cut into quarters
- 1 lebanese Cucumber cut into quarters
- 2 Round red Radish thinly sliced
- Dash of Rock Salt to taste
- Dash of freshly ground pepper trio to taste
- Garlic Olive Oil drizzle
Instructions
- Boil 1 litre of water (enough to cover pasta) in a pasta pot / large pot.
- Add in pasta when water is boiling and leave to boil till pasta is al dente.
- Drain pasta and set aside to cool.
- Place Swiss Chard at the bottom of a large salad bowl.
- Add in the Fusilli.
- Drizzle Olive oil.
- Add in Rock Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Add in all other ingredients.
- Squeeze lemon juice over and give a good stir.
- Ready to serve.
Notes
Other leaves / vegetables can be used as desired.
Use lemon juice as desired.
One way I incorporate more protein into this salad is by serving it with Harissa Prawns. Well, it does not have to be Harissa Prawns, it can always be served with garlic prawns or just other types of grilled seafood or even meat for those meat-lovers. Vegetarians can always keep it strictly Vegan by serving it as it is or maybe by adding some Tempeh for those who are Protein conscious.
