Mango Avocado Salad

If you love colorful salads as much as I do, you MUST try this one!

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Mangos: I recommend fresh mangos. However, I almost always take a shortcut and use precut mangos in the produce department. I do not recommend frozen mangos or the ones that come in a jar with syrup because they’ll be too watery.

Lettuce: I add a little bit for some extra crunch, and I love butter lettuce for its mild flavor. You could also leave the lettuce on the side and serve scoops of this salad in lettuce cups for a fancy presentation for a buffet-style salad or appetizer.

Coconut milk: Make sure you buy the kind in the can, not the milk substitute sold in cartons. You can use regular or light. Regular is higher in fat.

First, make the dressing by combining the lime juice, zest, coconut milk, curry powder, and sweetener (if using it). You can mix it with a fork or whisk. Or shake it in a jar with a lid. I like to have the dressing prepared so I can dress the salad and serve it immediately. That way, your avocados will be fresh and green.

Step 2, cut your ingredients into bite-sized pieces. I like the mango and avocado pieces about one inch large and the other ingredients diced smaller.

Step 3 is to lightly toss everything, being gentle so you don’t mash the avocado. Alternatively, you can add the avocado chunks at the very end after your salad is tossed and dressed, but I like them tossed with the dressing.

Finally, pour the dressing over everything and give it another light toss. Serve this salad immediately because the avocados will start to oxidize and turn brown over time.

Personally, I have a hard time peeling and cutting mangos, which is why I use the precut ones. However, it’s hard to pass up a good deal when fresh mangos are in season. This article and video from The Mango Board have some great step-by-step mango-cutting tips.

To prep this salad ahead of time:

• Prepare the dressing, but keep it in a covered jar in the refrigerator. The coconut milk will solidify from the cold, so you’ll have to take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Make sure you give it a good shake.
• Cut the mango and vegetables but NOT the avocado. Keep each ingredient in its own container, covered in the refrigerator.
• Just before serving, combine your ingredients, cut the avocado and add it to the bowl, and pour the dressing over everything.

Avocados turn brown quickly after they’re cut and exposed to oxygen. It’s not unhealthy to eat a brown avocado, but most people find it unappealing. To keep the avocado looking fresher longer:

• Squeeze some extra lime juice over the cut avocado cubes.
• Give them a light spray with olive or avocado oil cooking spray.
• Sprinkle Fruit Fresh over your avocado or add it to water according to the package directions and let your avocado cubes float in it for a minute. Fruit Fresh is primarily vitamin C (ascorbic acid) which acts as an antioxidant and prevents browning caused by oxidation. It works like a charm and can make your avocado last a few more hours.