Mango Avocado Salad and Portobello Tomato Stacks

Champagne Mangoes

All across the country it seems many people have gotten off easy this winter and this is especially true here in Chicago where long time residents speak mistrustfully of the early warm weather. We're often told we're lucky to have missed Chicago's famous bone chilling winters and I can tell you that we aren't complaining. This recipe for mango avocado salad is a perfect dish to welcome warm weather back into the picture. I can imagine sitting on my front porch and languidly sipping an iced drink while eating this for a light lunch. Then reality sets in and I realize I have no front porch and I'm back in my teeny tiny apartment with an excellent view of my neighbors bathroom..

I came across this recipe after Joel and I decided to institute "Raw Food" days every other Monday. I think a bi-weekly effort is an attainable goal since eating only raw foods is harder than it seems. There is a ton of information online about the benefits and drawbacks of the raw food diet and a great resource is we like it raw, which is also where I found this recipe. It's amazing how complicated some of the recipes are at first glance but this one seemed totally doable and I can confirm that it's really tasty. The perfect dish to welcome spring back into our midst.

Did you know that there are over 500 varieties of mangoes? It's really mind boggling when you think about it. I chose champagne mangoes which are unique for their yellow color and pear like shape. Champagne mangoes hail from central Mexico and have a delicious light flavor that is perfect in this dish. Mangoes are naturally fat free and are an excellent source of vitamins A and C.

Mango Avocado Salad

2 mangoes, diced (learn how to cut a mango here)
1 large avocado, diced
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Combine ingredients in a medium bowl and gently toss. Ready to serve.


Now it's time for dinner..

 I made a dish just a few weeks ago using portobello mushrooms and I thought that on Raw Food day these mushrooms would make a more hearty meal. First I got two big portobello mushrooms and wiped them with a damp cloth. Then I removed the stems and gills with the edge of a spoon. Then I squeezed a few drops of lemon juice over both mushrooms. This is the part where I cheat. I'm not judging myself too harshly though because it's the first day of Raw Food day and I'm allowed to slip up. I filled the insides of the scooped out mushrooms with 2 large spoonfuls of chipotle hummus. Sure the chickpeas were cooked before being pureed into hummus, but it's such a small slip, huh? Then I sliced a beautiful red heirloom tomato into thick slices and sprinkled it with salt and pepper before topping it all off with basil leaves.

Neither Joel or I have ever eaten raw portobello mushrooms before but they were amazing! It was very filling and we raved about how good it was until it was time for Joel to head out the door to watch some improv. For next Monday's Raw Food day I'm thinking of zucchini spaghetti with pesto sauce. Stay tuned....