Recipe: Watercress and avocado salad with lemon-soy dressing

Watercress and avocado salad with lemon-soy dressing

Total time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 medium shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

2 teaspoons soy sauce, divided

About 1-1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons hazelnut or walnut oil

Freshly ground pepper

2 bunches watercress, washed and dried, tough stems removed

1 large ripe avocado

4 small piquillo peppers, or 2 roasted red bell peppers, seeded and sliced

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add shiitakes and cook, stirring or shaking the pan constantly, until tender. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon soy sauce and continue cooking until almost crisp. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining soy sauce with the lemon juice and pepper to taste. Add the hazelnut oil and whisk until emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

3. Place the watercress in a large salad bowl. Cut the avocado into quarters lengthwise, remove the pit and cut crosswise into thin slices. Slide the fruit off the skin into the bowl. Add the peppers and shiitakes and toss well. Add just enough dressing to coat and toss again. Divide the mixture among serving plates and sprinkle with almonds.

Each of 6 servings: 239 calories; 127 mg. sodium; 0 cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 5 grams fiber.