Mango Avocado Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Mango Avocado Quinoa Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

I'm addicteddddd to the combo of sweet mango and creamy avocado!! Mangoes have been ridiculously cheap and available lately and it's been such a fun addition to my meals. This recipe is one of my favorite flavor combos! I love using avocados to sub for dressing or other fats. The mixture of ripe mango and avocado with the awesome texture of quinoa is so delicious. Use the base of this recipe as inspiration for other meals! I routinely mix mango, avo, and quinoa with all my salads, and top them with baked fish. Squeeze a whole bunch of lime juice over top, or serve it with the lime vinaigrette I'm showing you today! :)

These flavors are vibrant. Tossing mango and avocado together brings out all the juiciness of the fruit, and the creamy avocado coats all the other ingredients. Adding in a bit of red onion for bite, cilantro for brightness, and tart cherry tomatoes (or try sweet strawberries!) makes this salad incredibly flavorful and hearty. This would be great with grilled chicken, fish, or even as a dip with chips :) This salad's so easy. Chop up all the ingredients and toss em together. Let's get cookin!

What You Need:

• 2 mangoes
• 1 avocado 
• 1/4 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup quinoa, cooked (1/2 cup uncooked)
• Handful fresh cilantro
• Optional: cherry tomatoes, strawberries, salad greens, spinach, black beans, blueberries, cashews, pine nuts, noodles, chicken, fish, steak

Lime Vinaigrette:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Zest of 1 lime
• 2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 

Seriously gorgeous ingredients - eating the rainbow is a really easy way to get a ton of nutrients!

What To Do:

• Cook 1/2 cup of quinoa. Use a 2:1 ratio (liquid to quinoa). Rinse and drain uncooked quinoa. Boil the liquid (water, broth, or a mix) and add quinoa. Simmer according to package directions, usually 15 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy. Let cool.
• On Sunday nights I like to cook up a huge batch of quinoa for the week. That way, it's super easy to heat some up to eat with protein, toss some in my salads, etc. 

• The easiest way to cut mangoes is to stand the mango on your cutting board stem end down. Hold it up, place your knife about 1/4" from the widest center line and cut down through the mango. Flip the mango around and repeat this cut on the other side. You're removing the meat of the mango away from its lengthwise seed. 
• From there, simply slice diagonal lines in the cheeks of the mango flesh, creating diamonds. Flip em inside-out, and you've got the easiest way to dice up some mango.

• Halve and pit an avocado. Use the same method as you used for the mango, to get nice chunks of avo. 

• Spoon out the chunks of avo!

• Toss the chunks of avocado and mango together. 

I like to season my avocado with a little salt :) 

• Add in finely diced red onion and the cooled quinoa. 

Gorgeous!!

• Add in some roughly chopped cilantro and quartered cherry tomatoes, along with any other of your favorite ingredients! Get creative :) 
• I love this salad with a TON of lime juice and sprinkle of salt. Once you start mixing the ingredients together, the avocado coats everything and is sooo delicious. All you need is some acid. However, you can also try a nice lime vinaigrette: 
• Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together 2 tbsp evoo, 2-3 tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper. Add some fresh lime zest for extra brightness. 

• Toss the quinoa salad with a few drizzles of this vinaigrette and start chowin down

If there's anything to be addicted to, why not a salad that jam-packed with beautiful, nutritious ingredients? As usual, the beauty of this recipe is its versatility. Great as a side dish, dip, to bulk up a regular ole salad, or with your main protein for lunch or dinner. I like to throw it in the fridge for a little before I eat it so it's extra refreshing :) I really hope you guys try this one - definitely one of my favorites. Have a great week! xoxo