Avocado-White Bean Salad with Lemon-Thyme Chia Dressing

I’ve been in a state of denial about the coming of our Texas summer. It’s been a spring of multiple cold-snaps and intermittent days of cool breezes coupled with sunshine. I was lulled into complacency, even going so far as to make crock pot meals and stews as late as mid-May (almost unthinkable in years past).

But now it has hit. The intense Texas humidity, heat, and mosquitoes are here until early October, so I am embracing it with sunscreen in one hand and insect repellent in the other.

That leaves no hands free for cooking.

It’s ok; I’m too hot to be too hungry. Hence I’m eschewing all cooking and making a main-dish green salad instead. It’s loaded with summer vegetables, hearty beans, crunchy whole grain croutons and a special dressing: fresh lemon chia seed dressing with a bit of thyme.

I’m leery of most creamy dressings, save for yogurt or tahini ones I make myself; but I dislike vinaigrettes that roll right off the lettuce into the bottom of the bowl. Mustard is my go-to for achieving the reliable “cling,” but a new go-to has emerged: chia seed dressing.

When soaked in a bit of liquid, chia seeds take on a gel-like consistency; in plain salad dressings like this one, it adds subtle thickness, reliable when you want a low-oil dressing. The tiny seeds are dark, reminiscent of poppy seeds; we all need more polka dots in our lives, so this is a lovely bonus.

This humble saald is far greater than the sum of its parts. Enjoy not cooking, and here’s to summer!