I had lunch with a friend on Friday at Burton's Grill, an upscale New England chain restaurant that I have found to be consistently good. I always order one of their interesting and delicious salad creations which you can add your choice of grilled or pan seared (they like to call it "bronzed") protein to. My favorite beet and goat cheese salad had found it's way off of the menu, so I settled on the mango, avocado and tomato salad with spinach, pea tendrils and pepitas. With some seared scallops it made quite a tasty lunch. In fact, I so enjoyed the fresh flavor combination of the salad that I decided to make a version of my own a few nights ago. In my mind, the spinach, mango and avocado were the key ingredients. I improvised the rest of the salad with ingredients I had on hand, such as red onion, cucumber and dry roasted peanuts. The recipe for the lime vinaigrette is a combination of two recipes I found on foodnetwork.com, neither of them just right on their own but great when melded together. This is another healthy summer meal idea.
Mango, Avocado & Chicken Salad Ingredients: 1 mango, peeled and sliced thin 1 avocado, peeled and sliced thin 8 cups fresh baby spinach or salad greens of your choice 1/4 red onion, shaved 1/4 seedless cucumber, thinly sliced 1/2 cup snap peas, halved 1 lb cooked chicken thinly sliced or shredded (I used de-boned & skinned rotisserie chicken) 1/4 cup crushed roasted peanuts Lime Vinaigrette Ingredients: juice of 1/2 lime 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon honey 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 1 teaspoon grated lime zest 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon cumin 4 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste Instructions: Make vinaigrette by adding all ingredients (except salt and pepper) to a tupperware container. Put on lid and shake vigorously until thoroughly mixed. Season to taste with salt and pepper. For Salad: Mix all ingredients except mango, avocado and peanuts in a bowl. Toss with vinaigrette (you might not need all of it so add a little at a time). Gently add in the mango and avocado. Divide among plates and sprinkle with crushed peanuts. Serves 3-4 as a main course.
So I have to cook a lot more now. Your blog came along at just the right time. Thanks, Zoe!
Posted by: Andy | June 17, 2009 at 01:10 AM
Well I am glad to be of service Mr. Koehn! Definitely tell me if you try anything and you think it is great or it sucks :) Also, if there is something you have been wanting to make and don't know how or can't find a recipe let me know and I will find one for you and test it!
Posted by: Zoe | June 17, 2009 at 08:02 AM
This is one of my favorite salads! Ps...the beet and goat cheese has returned as of last Sunday.
Posted by: Chelsea Orr | September 01, 2009 at 06:17 PM