Go Ahead, Get Crabby

One of my less admirable qualities is that I am a bit of a crab. For example, my work year just ended and I have vacation now. But rather than being thrilled and jumping for joy, I find myself nettled by a million different things. Days are long and a bit lonely when you're home by yourself. Household chores must be done, because really, what's my excuse for not doing them? I never know what time Ryan's going to be home, so I have to chose between not quite finishing dinner, or letting dinner sit and get cold. But this dinner is absolutely perfect. Not only does it not get cold if it sits, it's incredibly easy to make, and it's crabby just like me.

CRAB AND AVOCADO SALAD
serves 2 as an entree

Salad:
1 head of Boston or Bibb lettuce (I used romaine because that's what I had but I would have liked something more delicate.
1/4 C of tomatoes (these are optional, I didn't feel they added much, but I always worry about things not being enough dinner for Ryan)

Dressing for Greens:
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1.5 Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Crab and Avocado:
1/2 lb fresh (not frozen)jumbo lump crabmeat
1 ripe avocado

Dressing for Crab:
2 tsp Dijon mustard ( I use Maille, which says it's gluten-free)
3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch pepper

Assembly:
Rinse the lettuce and pat dry. Tear into pieces so you can actually eat it. If you want to use cherry tomatoes, rinse and quarter them now. Put in a bowl. Mix up the 2 T of lemon juice and the 1.5 T of olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Pour over the greens and toss. Set aside.

Clean the crab by going through it with your fingers and picking out any shells. In a medium bowl, whisk the dijon mustard, 3 T of lemon juice and pepper. Put the crab in the bowl and toss gently. Cut the avocado into chunks (you know you don't eat avocado peel, right?) Add it to the crab and again toss gently. I used my hands because both the avocado and crab are so delicate, I wanted to be sure I wasn't smushing anything.

Arrange your greens around the edge of a plate. Arrange the crab and avocado in the center. Revel in the fact that you have not turned on a single heat creating device in your kitchen. Be glad that you have a legitimate excuse for being crabby.