Butter Lettuce and Avocado Salad with Lime Dressing

Here is a salad you will want to eat every night.  I like it because of its yin and yang.  The crisp butter lettuce contrasts with the smooth avocado, the sour from the lime contrasts with the small amount of sugar.  Visually, there is little contrast since all the ingredients are a pale green. Visual contrast could come from thin-sliced red onion or cherry tomatoes. Personally, this salad stands on its own.  I don't recall the source of the recipe.  I made it once off of either a TV show or a web site and haven't been able to find the recipe since then.  

Preparation: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Dressing Ingredients

• 1 Lime  (zest and juice)
• 1 Shallot-minced
• 1 Sprig of Thyme-just the leaves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp fresh cracked pepper

Dressing Instructions:

• In a bottle or jar combine the zest and juice of one lime, minced shallot, fresh thyme leaves, sugar, safflower, salt and pepper.
• Cover and shake.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 Head Butter Lettuce
• 1 Avocado

Salad Instructions:

• Wash and dry the leaves of butter lettuce head
• Slice avocado laterally about its pit. Remove the pit.  Make lateral slices in the fruit and scoop out of the avocado's rind.
• Combine avocado with lettuce in a large salad bowl
• Shake dressing and dress just before serving with half the dressing.