Strawberry, Mango and Avocado Salad

This was a surprisingly delicious salad that I made on my wedding invitation party night! I invited Anne and Caitlin over to help my sisters, Mom and I write out the hundreds of addresses and return addresses - not to mention all the stamping and envelope-licking.  They were HUGE helps and we got the job done in a short and minimally painful 3 hours.  They needed their energy before all that work, so I made dinner.  I decided to make beans and rice for dinner (just in case Dani came, I wanted to stay gluten free!) and I tried this salad out with it.

Even I had to admit that this salad sounds weird.  Avocado with strawberries?  And mango with balsamic vinegar?  And honey with cayenne pepper?  The answer to all these questions is yes.  Yes, put smooth, creamy avocado with bright, sweet strawberries.  Temper the super sweetness of mango with tangy balsamic vinegar.  Spice up honey with cayenne pepper.  And throw it all together with cilantro, lime and orange juices, and salt, and you have just the most bizarrely wonderful salad.

I think I was not alone in being shocked how great this salad was.  Even I, who love weird foods, had my doubts, but I thought it was great.  Sweet, cold, bright, and clean-tasting, it was a great addition to a beans-and-rice meal.  More shocking, though, was that everyone else loved it too.  Even my mom, and she hates weird food.  We all devoured it, even eating it on top of the rice and beans.  It's a perfect summery salad.  I know: it sounds really weird, but just go with it.

Recipe:

strawberry, mango and avocado salad
from Pink Parsley

Ingredients:
1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons orange juice
juice of 1/2 lime
pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 avocado, pitted and cut into 1-inch cubes
kosher salt

Instructions:

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, cayenne, salt, and cilantro.  Toss with strawberries and mango, and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes.

2) When ready to serve, gently mix in the avocado.  Season with salt to taste and serve immediately.