Citrus Avocado Salad with Toasted Almonds

John and I just returned from a fantastic vacation week in Charleston, SC- our old stomping grounds- and I am still full from a week jam packed with eating and drinking. We're on operation "eat light" this week and ironically I am still dreaming of this Citrus and Avocado Salad that I had for lunch at the Hominy Grill so I decided to recreate it to the best of my ability. They served the salad with a light Ginger Vinaigrette however I adapted my own dressing that had a punch of sherry vinegar in it as well. The rich and buttery avocado is the perfect compliment to the sweet and tart citrus fruits. It is light and refreshing yet substantial enough for a hearty lunch or dinner. Especially if you make them as large as I did.

Serves 2 as an entree or 4 as a starter. Salad: One bag of Butter lettuce blend salad (or two heads of bibb lettuce, cleaned well) One navel orange, peeled and segmented* One pink grapefruit, peeled and segmented* One avocado, peeled and sliced 1/4 cup toasted almond slices or slivers *Click here to watch a quick tutorial on how to segment your citrus fruits. If you are serving the salad as an entree- you can top it with 1 small grilled chicken breast per person (I like to use a couple of tenders-you can cook them quickly on the stove top). Grilled shrimp or salmon would be delicious as well. Dressing: 1 1/2 tablespoon of sherry vinegar (you can substitute red or white wine vinegar) 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of fresh orange/grapefruit juice* 3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 heaping teaspoon of honey 1 heaping teaspoon of dijon mustard pinch of salt and pepper *I just squeezed the remaining juice out of the fruit flesh after cutting the segments out. You don't need to use another whole fruit. Pour the ingredients into a small bowl or measuring cup and mix together with a fork until emulsified. To assemble the salad, divide the lettuce and the other ingredients among the plates (chilled plates if you have time and want to impress company) and drizzle with the vinaigrette.