Healthy + Easy + Pretty = Magic

Have I mentioned that I am over winter? So thoroughly over it. I'm at that dreary doldrums stage where whining about your low productivity levels is followed by wallowing on the couch. The stage where you briefly think that indeed, drinking smoothies that are green will become a daily practice, and also morning exercise! Exercise and green smoothies! And then you make one green smoothie and it really isn't very good, and then you hit the snooze button four times before you realize the alarm has been going off. That stage. You know the one, don't pretend.

Anyway, it is at this time, the winteriest of winter times, that I must have colorful, clean food to keep me feeling human. And not colorful in a green-smoothie-resembling-Swamp-Thing kind of way (no offense to green smoothies--I'll figure out how to make them delicious eventually). The other night, I had a craving for something bright, crisp and simple that I could throw together fast. I was cooking for myself, so if you want to share this with someone else, just double it. Or, if you don't want just this for dinner like I did, this could do for two side dishes. There are no magical chemical reactions going on here--it's not like baking--so just adjust levels however you see fit.

Carrot-Ginger Salad with Avocado

2 carrots, big-ish
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
tablespoon or so of grated fresh ginger (depending on how spicy you like it)
dollop of honey (about a teaspoon and a half)
1 avocado cut up

1. Ribbon your carrots. Peel them first and keep using the peeler to strip off big noodles of carrot flesh. If you haven't done this before, here's a video of some lady ribboning a zucchini--same concept.

2. Toss your carrot noodles in the vinegar, ginger, honey. Let sit for 5 minutes or so while you cut up the avocado. Here's a fancy way to do that--I just halve mine, skin them, and cut them. Messy fingers? Sure. Do I care? Not a whit.

3. Nom.

This is pretty much amazing, I have to say. Now I'm craving it again. Next grocery run: more avocado.