Avocado + Grapefruit Salsa with Baked Coriander Chips

I spent about 2 hours outside in direct sunlight this weekend while we walked around a local Seafood Festival and, in doing so, I came to this conclusion: It is too, too hot already. Like, had to use a paper towel to blot behind my knees because I was sweating profusely kind of hot. Ew.

This is certainly not unusual around here, but I can tell you that I'm already craving thirst-quenching and refreshing things to eat and drink. Partly because they help you cool down, but also because they are generally better for you and will not make you feel as bad when it's time to start wearing less clothing. I'm not saying the "B" word just yet {bikini} because I know many of you aren't ready for that kind of language. But it's coming, folks. It's coming.

Anyway, after nearly melting into a puddle, I woke up feeling like I wanted to whip up something fresh and healthy.

Mondays are my favorite food day of the week because, most of the time, it means that I have a replenished supply of fruits and veggies at my disposal. Lately, my husband has been in charge of going to the produce store solo and picking out our fruits and veggies for the week. It makes sense with our weekend schedule for him to stop at the store and pick things up first thing in the morning right after the gym. At first, this made me a little nervous because 1. I am a control freak, and 2. I don't like surprises.

But I have to admit, he's been pretty good with fruit and veggie selection. Sure, we have about 258,353 onions and lemons because he doesn't always check what we've got before he heads out to the store. But for the most part, I can't complain.  {And I happen to like onions and lemons.}

You know what he's really good at? Picking out avocados. I love, love, love that our local produce store has avocados at a price so affordable that we can pick up enough for the entire week without spending our life savings. And that's exactly what he does. He even tries to select them on a ripeness spectrum so that there's one ready for each day of the week. Isn't he adorable? {It obviously doesn't take much to win me over.}

So, after finding a sad and lonely grapefruit sitting in the fridge and then spotting a perfectly perfect avocado on the counter top, this was only logical:

I can put away serious amounts of chips and salsa... but I try not to because, you know, skinny jeans. But this light and refreshing salsa made me feel like I was actually doing my body a favor with juicy pieces of bright, citrusy grapefruit, gorgeous tomato and creamy avocado. And baking up some crispy coriander-spiced tortilla chips in the oven was the best accompaniment for this snack -- nothing creepy or fried out of a bag.

Perfect.

Ok, Mother Nature, feel free to turn up the heat.

Avocado + Grapefruit Salsa with Baked Coriander Tortilla Chips
1 grapefruit, segments removed & juice reserved
1 avocado, pitted and diced
1 Roma or Plum tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed mint, or 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint
Sprinkle of sea salt

1. Place grapefruit, avocado, tomato and red onion in a medium bowl.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the juice from the grapefruit with olive oil, mint and salt. {I was able to get about 1/4 cup after removing the segments. If you don't have enough juice, you can use a lime instead.}

3. Pour vinaigrette over the avocado mixture and toss together gently, careful not to squish the avocado too much. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

For Chips:

4-5 corn tortillas {I used these}
Olive oil or olive oil spray
Sprinkle of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.

2. Spray or brush each tortilla with olive oil on both sides. Stack the tortillas and cut into 6 wedges with a sharp knife. Place wedges onto the baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and ground coriander.

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the tortillas are crisp and lightly browned.

Serve warm with cool avocado salsa.