Bring on different types of greens and combine that with a tropical summer feel (and maybe a light tropical cocktail), and you have yourself a salad that eats like a meal. Or omit the greens and add chips and queso for a new kind of nacho spread. Either way, this Mango Avocado Salsa w/corn & black beans will brighten up your taste buds and get you ready for all the heat this summer!

One thing that I appreciate most about being part of a CSA is that I get to learn about new varietals of greens, along with fruits & veggies. That leads me to find new favorites of those greens (at least for now). In this instance, I got introduced to Frisee Lettuce, which quickly became a favorite, especially when combined with other leafy green and red lettuces. It is light, but crunchy, and takes on the flavors you pair it with. Such a wonderful combination of fresh and crisp – it is no surprise this jumped to the top of my lettuce list last summer!

Another activity that I enjoy is to inventory the fridge and cabinet and ask myself questions like, “What do I have on hand? What can I make with it? What can I combine that would be good? How can I push myself creatively? Will those I’m feeding like it?”

Truly, there are so many more questions than just those, and they’re mixed with wide-eyed excitement, a touch of a fluttery type energy, and finished with ‘this is my happy place.’ Those questions and the whole thought process of cooking is part of the fun – creativity and the act of thinking creatively fills my bucket (not to mention, a success of a meal doesn’t hurt either).

That is how this dish was created. I had frisee, leafy greens, mango, limes, avocados, and jalapenos in the fridge and black beans and corn in the pantry; and well, the rest, as they say, is history. Fill the time with some rinsing, draining, chopping, and squeezing, and you are left with a fresh and beautiful salsa that takes you wherever you want to go – in this case, a salad. This would also be great with the nachos mentioned above or topping grilled chicken or fish.

The leftover salsa can be saved for around 2 days before the avocado will start graying, but on this particular week, between the main meal and lunch the next day, it was gone before that could happen.

Mango Avocado Salsa Salad w/Corn & Black Beans

Ingredients:

• Lettuce of your choice, rinsed and shredded
• 2 Avocados, peeled and chopped
• 1 Mango, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can corn, drained and rinsed
• Juice of 1-2 limes
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to taste
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• Jalapeno rings, halved with seeds removed
• Optional: Fresh herbs (mint, basil, thyme), croutons, plantain croutons

Preparation:

Make the salsa by combining avocados, mango, red onion, black beans, corn, lime juice, approx. 1-2 Tbls olive oil, and salt & pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes, then taste. Add additional lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, or herbs to create the perfect flavor profile for you.

Arrange lettuce(s) on a plate and top with salsa, sliced jalapenos, and more herbs & salt & pepper, to finish. Enjoy!

Happy Salading!!!

*Experimental Spoon original.

**Lettuces from Untiedt’s CSA 2022