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This Spinach, Mango and Avocado Salad makes a delicious lunch or light dinner and comes together in under 30 minutes.
Did you ever have something wonderful come out of nothing? That's the story of this salad which has, in a very short, time become a favorite here at The Café. We were on the way home from church on Sunday and I was thinking about what to fix for lunch. We were both hungry and I knew it had to be something that would come together quickly.
We're trying to eat a little lighter and leaner these days, with swimsuit weather soon to be arriving. Hmmm, something lean, light and quick. I just couldn't think of anything that would fill the bill. By the time we arrived back home, I still hadn't come up with anything. Looking in the fridge, I spotted a large box of fresh spinach and that got me going. A perfectly ripe mango and an avocado called to me from the fruit bowl. That red onion would add a bit of zip!
It was starting to sound good, but I wanted the salad to be a bit more hearty (we were hungry!). A few slices of applewood bacon caught my eye in the fridge along with a roll of creamy goat cheese. And for the dressing? Perfect! I'd been testing and tweaking a recipe for a really good balsamic vinaigrette and had a jar of the best of my efforts, right there on the top shelf.
Bacon was sizzling on the stovetop while I set about peeling, chopping and dicing. I threw it all together, and within 20 minutes, we were happy as two little pigs in mud. We pretty much inhaled the wonderful salad topped with a scatter of Sweet & Spicy Honey-Sriracha Roasted Pecans w/ Fresh Rosemary. Two Buttermilk Honey 5-Minute Dinner Rolls had been pulled from the freezer and warmed. It was a super yummy lunch, even though it was "something out of nothing". I honestly, had no intention of sharing it with you, but...
"This is AMAZING!", my husband declared as he took the first bite. "The flavors are incredible". You HAVE to write this one down. "Now", he said. "Now?", I asked. "Yup, here's your computer, just jot down what you put in this, you know you probably won't remember it in a day or so since there are at least a zillion other recipes swirling around in your brain!". I often forget the ingredients, or how I put a certain dish together, as I get inspired with new culinary adventures. So I did - and here it is. Hope you like it as much as we did.
P.S. He also told me we HAD to get pictures and blog this one. So we had the same salad again for dinner, shot some photos and enjoyed it just as much the second time!
Oh, and I'm finding the dressing is fabulous drizzled on grilled meat, seafood or poultry, sandwiches, veggies, you name it! It's sweet, mild and yet bursting with flavor!
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 1 medium mango - peeled cored and diced
- 1 medium ripe avocados - peeled cored and cut in bite-size pieces
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- 8 strips applewood bacon cut crosswise into ½-inch strips, cooked until crisp and drained well
- ½ cup toasted pecans* even better use these amazing Honey-Siracha Roasted Pecans
- 3-4 ounces goat cheese crumbled**
- Balsamic Champagne Vinaigrette see recipe below
- 1 tablespoon finely minced shallot
- 1 tablespoon whole grain dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar I like Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, it's delicious and not terribly expensive
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
-
Divide spinach among four plates. Equally distribute mango, avocado and red onion over spinach. Drizzle with vinaigrette and scatter with goat cheese and pecans.
Notes: ~ * To toast pecans, just bake in a 350˚F oven for 5-8 minutes or until golden. I always use a timer as they can burn quite easily and that makes me cry. ~ ** To make goat cheese a bit easier to crumble, place in freezer for 15-20 minutes in advance.
Astrid says
Divine! As usual one more amazing salad-- I can totally live on this too (smile)! Mango and Avocado are one of my favorites, will definitely make this soon. Liked and Shared!
Lemons and Anchovies says
This salad has all the flavors I love. Could eat this everyday. 🙂
Aimee Christian says
Salad time!! Yea!
Lisa {Authentic Suburban Gourmet } says
You make the BEST salads! What a divine dressing and I need to make this over the weekend. Enjoy the long holiday weekend.
Pink Patisserie says
Looks mouthwatering. I love salads of any kind, but put bacon in avocado in it and I'm all over it. Such a great combination with the mango too...
lena says
a zillion recipes going on in your head? hehe...you are a superwoman, masterchef! i wouldnt have thought of all these combination, i'm sure the flavours are fantastic!
Inside a British Mum's Kitchen says
Absolutely lovely, I LOVE that you put rosemary in the dressing- and I adore Applewood bacon (but doesn't everyone!)
Mary x
Martha says
Sounds delicious! I love it when inspiration cranks out something completely new that turns out to be fabulous!
bellini says
I really need to move over to salads as soon as possible.
Erin Dee says
You have so many great salad recipes. I wish I could exchange my sweet tooth for a, I don't know - salad tooth? That would be awesome and my body would love it! 🙂
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
That dressing sounds fabulous! I wish I had a TJ's, so I could get that vinegar!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness says
Chris, what a wonderful list of delicious and healthy ingredients for this gorgeous salad!
Debra Eliotseats says
OK, I don't know how to pin this. Do I pin the pecans, the dressing, the salad? Multiple times on different boards? All together in salads?? 🙂
This looks delicious!!!! No wonder it is a favorite.