Mango Avocado Salad

 So Sara and I have always said that we could sit down with a bowl of pico de gallo and eat it with a spoon. Which is generally considered socially unacceptable (kind of like how eating plain Greek yogurt out of the container is so hiptrendycoolhealthy, but eating plain sour cream is something Homer Simpson would do. Even if they taste pretty much the same.)

Well.

I’ve discovered the way to escape this is to call it a salad, maybe after putting it into a cute cocktail glass. Tomato-cilantro-jalapeno salad, with a light lime juice dressing. Mango Avocado Salad. See? Bon appétit!

(And really, this is a delicious, healthy way to pack in fresh fruit and healthy fats–if you want to add a little more bulk to your snack or side dish, toss in some rinsed black beans, and if you’re fancying some meat, try it on top of grilled or fried fish tacos, grilled flank steak, grilled chicken, or try the Honey-Lime shrimp in our new book.)

For this mango avocado salad recipe, you’re going to start with 2 mangoes, 2 avocados, and 1/2 of a red onion.

If you need help figuring out how in the heck to work that mango or the avocado, check out our mango and avocado tutorials.

Immediately before serving, toss together the mango, avocado, and red onion.

Whisk together some extra-virgin olive oil, lime juice, and balsamic vinegar. I can hear you–“Ew, balsamic vinegar! No, Kate!” you say. I promise, it’s delicious; the balsamic is naturally sweet and fruity, so it complements these flavors nicely (although it will discolor your mangoes and avocados, so prepare yourself emotionally.)

I used our orange olive oil and our raspberry balsamic vinegar,

but you could use so many flavored olive oils–chili, lime, even garlic–or just plain extra-virgin olive oil and regular balsamic vinegar. Drizzle this over the mango mixture. Season to taste with salt and serve immediately, either as a salad or as a salsa (this is delicious over fish tacos or grilled steak or chicken).