Freshly Vegetarian: Ashley See on Transitioning to A Vegetarian Diet, Including Tips, Health Benefits & Recipes

True to form, I'm still hooked on simple summer salads.

Anytime I'm making something as simple as the following recipe is, I feel the least I can do is cook my own chickpeas. So all you need to do is have some in the fridge, or soak them the night before. Because I use chickpeas so regularly, I've gotten in the habit of soaking and cooking some once a week. At the least, they make for a fast snack. Plus, my temptation to eat hummus by the bucket loads, a la You Don't Mess with The Zohan, is perpetuated by having them so accessible.

For the record, this sauce is dangerously delicious. I'm convinced it would be tasty on more than just this salad, starting with an easy addition to plain grains. And for you brown baggers, this salad not only keeps well in the fridge, but still tastes lovely a few days later.

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I recently picked up Vegetarian Times special edition, "Healing Foods Cookbook," which is rad on several fronts, but its main allure is the spread of 25 foods we all need, accounted for in 75 tasty-looking recipes.

An odd irony that a buttery-tasting food, like the avocado, can be jam packed with good monounsaturated fats that lower cholesterol and fight away heart disease. Avocados are major win for indulgent eaters like m'self, who don't want to sacrifice rich-tasting foods for good health.

This is a perfect dish to serve up for friends as a side or appetizer on a sunny summer day. I chose to make it for a main and it ended up lasting me six dinners -- the good news is that the dish was just as delicious on the first night as it was the sixth. While someone with a heartier appetite can likely eat more than one slice per meal, I had mine with a thick slice of Grand Central Bakery's poco como loaf, the first night my eyes were bigger than my stomach and after eating two I readily realized one would have sufficed nicely.

Fortunately the avocado mixture kept nicely in the fridge, as there's enough lemon juice to prevent anything from going brown.

Recipe after the jump.

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