The great thing about this dish is that it contains two of my absolute favorite foods: oranges and avocados. Although I love both of these foods individually, never did I think to put them together! What results is a heavenly topping to pork, chicken, or even fish or shrimp.
This avocado basil orange salad would also make a great “salsa” when served with tortilla chips. Although it was a little summery to have to late in the fall, it was still a delicious mix of flavors and textures…and it goes perfectly with grilled pork.
The lentils add a unique texture to this salad. If you’re not a fan of lentils, you could easily use quinoa or couscous instead. This is definitely a great recipe to hang on to for those late summer evening meals when oranges and avocados are in season and flourishing.
Pork with Lentil, Orange, Avocado, and Basil Salad
Ingredients:
- ½ lb. lentils, I eyeballed about half the bag
- 3 ½ cups water
- 4 boneless pork chops, about ½ to 2/3 inch thick
- 2 navel oranges
- ½ cup roughly torn or chopped basil leaves
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 avocado
Directions:
- Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add lentils, and reduce heat. Cover with a lid and gently simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain lentils and let cool.
- Cook pork chops to your liking. You can place them in a hot pan with some olive oil and cook them on the stove or if you have an indoor grill like we do, you can grill the pork chops. You can also bake them if you prefer. Any method will work here.
- Meanwhile, finely grate 1 teaspoon zest from 1 orange. Juice the zested orange and save the juice in a medium sized bowl. Cut and peel the remaining orange. Cut your orange into slices, and then cut each slice in half, so you have small ½ inch pieces.
- Add oranges to the juice you just made, then mix in minced shallot, basil, zest, and cooled lentils.
- Half, pit, and peel avocado. Halve each half and continue cutting into small bite-sized pieces. Fold avocado into the orange salad.
- Plate your pork chop and cover with orange salad.
Every Monday is a “Reci-bee” post, where I share my favorite recipes, recipe collections, and cooking and baking hints and tips.
The Hob-bee Hive 