A little bit spicy, a little bit sweet. A delightfully guilt-free sin.

Sometimes for dinner, I am in the mood for a taste of something tropical.  You know, Caribbean-esque, if you will. I admit, living in Australia, this isn't the easiest thing to come across. Also, a lot of the dishes just take too much dang time. And, really; who wants to deal with that after work? So with that in mind, may I please introduce you to my Mango and Avocado Salad.

Just take a look at those ingredients! So colorful! So tropical! So... just, healthy and easy!!

Really, the most difficult part of this whole salad is cutting up the mango. I love mangoes, but they have this annoying large pit in the center, and you have to be very careful when cutting around it. It can make the knife slip, then you might have finger in your salad, and while grateful for the extra protein, it might ruin the taste a little...

Just to put the size of this pit into perspective, here I am holding it. It is best to not try to get right down to it; just leave some of the mango flesh on it. You will thank me for this.

Also, it allows you enjoy a bit of the mango before you have your salad. I love mangos. I keep saying that. Also, I look a bit strange in this photo, but you try taking a self-portrait  of yourself eating a mango when there is juice running all over your hands...

So, anyways, back to the salad. You will want to cut off the peel of the mango. This is much easier with a smaller knife, but I was feeling adventurous this evening.

Once peeled, give it a nice rough chop and dump it in a bowl. And really, the key to a good rough chop? Just make sure all the main ingredients are about the same size. Simple as that. Remember: texture is good!

So, ignoring the fact that I just told you to do a large rough chop of the ingredients, dice up half a small red onion. You'll want a pretty fine dice on this; no one likes to bite into a huge chunk of raw red onion. Wowza!

Chunk up a fresh tomato or two. Just remember to remove the seeds; you will have enough juice from the other fruit in there.

It's starting to come together! Look at how pretty that is starting to look!

Next up is the avocado. Now, normally you will want it to be just starting to ripen. I mean, barely soft. But, if you are like me, you bought this avocado a few days ago, with the intention of making this salad, but then got sidetracked over the weekend with other dinner plans that involved yummy restaurants that you have been wanting to eat at. If that's the case, your avocado might be a little tiny bit over ripe. But, not to worry! Just cut those little brown parts out. No biggie!

Dice that up too! Now, you'll notice that I did this step last. It is because the less time that it is exposed to air, the less time it has to go brown before you get the lemon juice on it. Something about the acid of the lemon juice preventing the avocado from oxidizing... or something like that. Perhaps magic is to blame... hmm... yes, magic.

Squeeze the bejeezus out of lemon. This is the dressing, so use a whole fresh lemon here. I know, I am usually one to reach for the bottled stuff in the fridge too, but fresh makes a difference in this case.

Chop up some coriander (Cilantro, for those of you in the USA. This would be another one of those silly name changes I wrote about here.) and just a little bit of mint. Really, this is one of those cases where more fresh herbs does not equal better. Go light with these ones, they pack a punch of flavor in this dish.

Toss in the herbs, add a little salt and pepper, and mix.

Give it a good mix; the avocado will break down just a little, and the juices from the mango and lemon turn really nice and rich. Also, it blends all the flavors together. Very important stuff here.

Now for the spice. I alway serve this salad with a meat. And that meat needs to be spicy. Not over the top, ohmygodimdying; but definitely make sure it gives you a good kick in the mouth. I went with chicken here, but trust me, this works really well with pork, chicken, red meat, and white fish. Bake it, sear it, whatever. Its all good as long as it's spicy. And spicy is always better with a little sweet.

xoxo Craig

Mango and Avocado Salad

What you need:

• 1 mango
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 small red onion
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 large lemon
• coriander
• mint
• salt and pepper

Start by removing the flesh of the mango from the pit. WARNING: be very careful while doing this. Mangos are slippery little fellows. Once you have removed all the flesh, peel and give a rough chop. Add to a medium mixing bowl. Chop and deseed the tomatoes, and add to the bowl. Finely dice the red onion, adding it to the bowl. Mince together 2 tablespoons of the coriander and 1 tablespoon of the mint, adding to the mixing bowl. Cut the Avocado in half, and remove the pit. Cube, and add to the mix. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the salad, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Serve alongside a spicy meat such as cajun chicken, pork or fish.