Butter lettuce is also called Bibb lettuce or Boston lettuce. You may be lucky enough to find it still as a whole head, or just as the leaves. Either works.
If you can’t find either, then romaine works really nicely too.
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Lemon Avocado Butter Lettuce Salad
This is a filling and simple salad that is easy to present beautifully and can be made smaller if desired for a first course of a larger meal.
Servings4
Nutrition (For one serving)
Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 12gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 454mgPotassium: 1012mgFiber: 8gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 5692IUVitamin C: 16mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 5mg
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 4 heads butter lettuce
- 1 avocado
- 2 nori sheets
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup tomatoes baby
Dressing
- 3/4 cup cashews soaked 20 minutes
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast optional
Quick Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 cup macadamias
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Dressing
- Blend all ingredients together in a high-speed blender.
- Chill until ready to use.
Quick Parmesan Cheese
- Use a microplane to grate the macadamias into a bowl.
- Add the nutritional yeast and salt, and then mix thoroughly.
Assembly
- Cut the leaves from the stalk of the butter lettuce.
- Toss in the desired amount of dressing and then rearrange the leaves on the plate so they go from biggest to smallest, as they did when they were part of the original lettuce.
- Cut half of an avocado into a fan and place on the plate just to the side of the butter lettuce.
- Crush a dry nori sheet with your hands and sprinkle the lettuce with it.
- Quarter the baby tomatoes and sprinkle the salad with them, finishing up with a sprinkle of the quick parmesan cheese and the pine nuts.
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When you use cashews, they have to be raw? what happens if I soak roasted cashews?
Yes, they’ll need to be raw. There’s not really much point soaking roasted cashews, since they’ve been cooked.
OMG, this looks wonderful! I am so going to make this as soon as I can. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! <3
I have made it yesterday evening, this dressing is absolutely delicious!!! I did not have cashew and I used pistachios instead – big success, even my eating meat husband grab something from me. Since there was no oil added, it was very easy to digest. Thank you very much.
Thank you so much Krystyna. 🙂 Im glad you liked it!
I am so excited to try this tonight. We got the first week of our summer share and it’s always filled with greens — this salad will use up butter lettuce and it looks amazing…and easy!
Made your salad today for dinner, but had to use Romain lettuce since that’s what I was able to find at the store… my friend told me it was “epic”… thank you so much, it’s now my favorite! <3
Nice! 🙂
Russell, for some reason your “Pin It” button does not work. I use Pinterest to share my favorite recipes with my daughters who both live across the country from me. This recipe is great! By the way, instead of a microplane, I used my coffee grinder (which I only use for nuts/seeds) to grind the macadamia nuts. Works pretty slick.
Hey, thanks for the heads up and the idea of the coffeegrinder.
Pinterest seems to be working here, what happens when you try it?
I can’t pin it either. 🙁
Ok strange the pin just underneath you post doesn’t work. I get the needs an attached photo message but when I use My pin button, I can pin it fine
Any chance of you putting the nutritional information on your recipes? Thanks for all the wonderful recipes!
Hi! Thanks so much for kind comment 🙂
With regards to nutritional info, I have this answer in my FAQs section: https://therawchef.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/779049-can-you-provide-calorie-counts-for-recipes-
Hi Russell, what an amazing combination of flavors in this salad! Made it last night as a starter salad and my family loved it. Making it today again as a main dish! Thank you so much for posting the recipe.
Thanks, Ekaterina – it’s a bit of a favourite of mine too!
Russell, this is one of those recipes that I could just stuff myself on. Thank you so much!
Thanks, BB 🙂
Anything that can substitute for the nori? Not a seaweed fan…
Hi Lori,
I would suggest just leaving out the nori. It will still be a great salad without it.
Hi Russell,
do the macadamia nuts need to be soaked at all prior to making the cheese?
Thanks for your generosity and inspiration!
Hi Carine, yes it helps them to not taste so distinctive.
Great! I didn’t see it mentioned but assume it’s always a must, unless specified 🙂 Take care!
Russell, I have recently started following your posts and I find your recipes consistent and beautiful, as well as tasty. You are good at what you do and thank you for sharing.
Thanks a lot, Stephanie.
oh yum!!! you make the most incredible recipes!!! I LOVE you!
Thanks, G 🙂
I Allergic to garlic and many of ur recipes use it, what can I use as a substitute?
Hi Dina, you could just leave it out – there’s not really anything that tastes like garlic.
If a recipe calls for garlic powder, you might want to use onion powder though.
This looks like a delicious salad – almost a healthy alternative to The Wedge! Can’t wait to try it!
Russel,I have signed up for the home study,when well it start,I haven’t heard yet,thanks
This is so Interesting. The dressing is so captivating. I will call it as the Creative salad. Thanks for sharing.
sorry for the typo, is grating nuts demonstrated in your DVDs?
See my answer below 🙂
How does one grate macadamias on a microplane without grating one’s fingers? The recipe is supposed to be vegan, is it not?
Seriously though, is there a technique to save one’s fingertips? (or can I it demonstrated in your HomeStudy course)?
As long as you’re careful you should be able to avoid grating your fingers. The Microplane actually does have a guard available that you can protect your fingers with.
And yes, in the new version of my DVDs I demonstrate this.
Super recipe, I have done the salad for my friend and my husband (they’re my happy guinea-pigs!) and it was delicious, especially the dressing! thanks Russell
Have you really “moved” to Austin? I am your biggest fan & can drive up there from Houston in no time for a class.
The Chocolate Cheese Cake at Beet’s Cafe is sublime! 🙂
I have moved to Austin, yes.
Not doing any classes right now but I’ll keep you posted as to when I will be doing things here.
Best of luck and much happiness to you in your new home , sounds like it will be a perfect fit for you, Thanks for sharing this beautiful salad recipe. Sounds great and looks even better , how exciting to learn about the parmesan 🙂
Lucky Austin-town to have you! I grew up there through all my school years. The best of memories!!
Russell, this is a gorgeous salad! Thank you for sharing it!