Mango, Avocado & Tomato Salad

My mom made this salad a couple of years ago and I have to admit, I was so ready to turn my nose up! I don't love my food touching, so I'm pretty picky when it comes to salad. This salad combines mango with avocado and tomato and I was apprehensive to say the least! But guess what!? This salad is so good! The flavors mix really well and the end result makes a tasty side to just about any dinner! This recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens, you can find the original HERE.

Start by cubing one mango, one avocado and one medium tomato. The recipe does call for one of each, but you'll have to judge based on the size of mango/avocado/tomato you have. My mangoes were small, so I opted to use two but my avocados were huge so I decided to use just one. Then I went to my fridge and discovered that we didn't have any tomatoes - ah! I used about 1 cup of cherry tomatoes instead of a full sized tomato. You'll need to use your better judgement based on what you're working with, but I'd recommend having about equal parts of each - mango, avocado & tomato.

Next, chop up a quarter of a red onion. If you find the red onion flavor strong, you could use some green onion instead. I might chop up 2 or 3 green onions.

That's the bulk of the salad! Easy, right? All that's left is the dressing and the greens! To make the dressing, add 2 Tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro, 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, 1 Tablespoon of white wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 clove of minced garlic and a little salt & pepper to a mason jar. Seal the mason jar with a lid and shake the contents well to combine the salad dressing.

Wash and dry some lettuce of your choice. I prefer kale or spinach with this salad but you can use whatever green you like. You could even eat this salad without a lettuce - it's up to you! I tossed the dressing into the salad. Then, I washed up some kale and topped it with some salad!

This salad was the most perfect side for Walnut Crusted Chicken (I shared that recipe yesterday!) but we've eaten this salad with just about everything and it is always delicious!

MANGO, AVOCADO & TOMATO SALAD
serves 4

ingredients

for the salad...
1 mango, pitted, peeled and cubed
1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cubed
1 medium tomato, diced (or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped)
1/4 of a red onion, chopped (or 2-3 green onions, chopped)
lettuce of your choice (I prefer spinach or kale)

for the salad dressing...
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper

directions

1. Chop up the mango, avocado, tomato and red onion. Add the chopped fruits and veggies to a salad bowl.
2. Mix up the dressing bu adding the cilantro, olive oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic and salt & pepper to a mason jar. Seal the mason jar with a lid and shake the contents well to combine the salad dressing.
3. Toss the dressing in with the salad.
4. Wash and dry the lettuce of your choice. Top the lettuce with some of the salad and enjoy!

Let me know if you have any questions!