It’s amazing how I can go visit my family for two weeks and come back to find that there has been an abrupt yet complete transformation into Winter.  No snow here yet, but that nip is in the air and the wind blows with a chill that makes anyone want to bundle themselves up in a hat and scarf, maybe thinking twice before venturing outside.

Most would consider this the official season for warm Wintery comfort foods – baked potatoes, fondue, stews, and the like.  However while it may not be so pleasant outside, inside our apartment is a sweltering sauna – we have yet to ever activate our heating, and most of the time often crack a window to help relieve us a bit – maybe our neighbors love the warmth too much and so their heat finds its way to our place? I don’t know – but when home, the last thing I want to eat is a thick hot meal.

So instead I have been stocking up our kitchen with my favorite fruits – mangoes, clementines, pomegranates, avocados, whatever looks refreshing when we go shopping.  Dinners have been salads – something light to enjoy the fun tropical flavors that come out in Winter, that aren’t going to heat up our apartment so much (well more than it already is).  On top of that, most salads that my husband and I make are naturally gluten free – that is, we don’t add in croutons or complicated dressings that require substitutions, we simply prepare fresh ingredients and dress with simple dressings for something easy that doesn’t require much thought.

This mango avocado salad is one such salad, and after making it more than a few times in the past month alone we have yet to tire of it:)

I love putting avocado in salads. Ever since I can remember, avocados have been a near staple in our home.  I can eat them plain, just cutting them in half and scooping out the soft green flesh with a spoon and be completely satisfied.  So when I go to look for something refreshing and satisfying, I often reach for avocado and see what I can pair with it – actually, there aren’t too many things that avocado doesn’t go with! I am always continually amazed at how it supports accompanying flavors and yet never gets lost in a dish, and this salad is no exception.

So here is something quick, simple and light for you to enjoy, which maybe during the time between Thanksgiving and the end of year holiday festivities is a welcomed thing – it certainly is for me

Jenn Cuisine

Mango Avocado Salad

Preptime: 15 minutes to chop fruit and cook pancetta
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
100g (1/4 lb.) pancetta or thick cut bacon, cubed
1 mango, cubed
1 avocado, cubed
handful pomegranate seeds
oil for dressing (not olive oil – I used an artisan quality raps – canola, though nut oils or avocado may also work well)
juice of one half lime
splash vinegar
fleur de sel or sea salt

Directions:
1. Heat a skillet on the stove and cook pancetta until cooked through.  Remove from pan and drain excess fat off – you may also want to dab pancetta with a paper towel.
2. Mix pancetta, mango, avocado and pomegranate seeds together gently in a bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients (oil, citrus, vinegar) and then pour desired amount over the salad.
4. Garnish with fleur de sel. Enjoy!

This was printed from: Jenn Cuisine
The site URL: http://jenncuisine.com
The Title: Mango Avocado Salad
The URL: http://jenncuisine.com/2011/12/mango-avocado-salad/
© Copyright 2013 - All Rights Reserved

Also submitted to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays