Fruit and veggie lovers have long known that salads don’t have to be limited to lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Many fruits complement the taste of salad vegetables. Avocados are by now a salad staple, both for their silky texture and subtle taste. Mangoes pair beautifully with avocados, bringing bright, juicy tropical flavor and gorgeous color to the salad bowl. There are a number of types of mango avocado salad.
A hearty dinner salad that includes black beans not only provides vitamins and fiber galore but protein as well. The black beans anchor the salad and add a meaty texture. Cilantro offers the perfect herbal accent, and a simple olive oil dressing with lime juice as well as lime zest works well with this salad.
A bed of dark green baby spinach leaves offers a good base for another kind of mango avocado salad. Walnuts add crunch, and true fruit lovers might enjoy some green or purple seedless grapes or red raspberries as well. A good dressing for this type of salad is a creamy blue cheese that adds both tang and rich flavor.
For cooks who want to up the veggies as well as the fruit, a spinach mango avocado salad can incorporate radishes, an array of baby lettuces such as Bibb and radicchio, and carrots. A simple dressing with complex flavor notes combines hazelnut oil, orange juice, garlic, and a little mustard. A dash of fig, red wine, or balsamic vinegar brings a little sharpness that works well with the fruit.
Another flavor that harmonizes wonderfully with a mango avocado salad is curry. Curry works well with both fruit and veggies, so the cook might add peaches, raspberries, or strawberries and even some sliced banana. Carrots and diced red, yellow, and green peppers make this salad as pretty as any painting and add some crunch as well. Curry powder or paste added to a little olive oil dresses this salad to perfection, and basil leaves in the salad or minced into the dressing finishes it perfectly.
Cooks can add chicken, seafood, or sliced steak to any of these salads for protein and a satisfyingly hearty meal. Tofu or tempeh work well, too, especially if they’ve been marinated in a citrus or soy-based swim. Chickpeas are another protein addition that these salads welcome.
A mango avocado salad is not only beautiful and delicious, but it’s highly nutritious to boot. Both provide lots of fiber as well as antioxidants. Mangoes feature substantial amounts of vitamins A, C, and B6 as well as a multitude of minerals. Avocado is chock full of healthy nutrients like vitamin E, B complex vitamins, and folic acid.