Mango and Avocado Salad

My apologies in advance as I think the next week and a half will be a little light on recipes as I'm playing a game of cleaning out the fridge before taking a long weekend away from everything. I had a small plan for what I was going to make this week, but as Monday rolled around, those thoughts flew out of my head ... and I decided I needed to use up some of the things left over from Oscar night!

Tonight's dinner is a recipe I saw on foodbuzz's top 9 (I think, it might've been foodgawker though!).  Originally, a friend was looking for suggestions on what to do with some extra avocados and this popped into my head.  I couldn't resist the chance to try it myself.

If you're making this as a main meal, I'd put some citrus-y grilled shrimp with it.  I envision it with shrimp and wish there had been some extra shrimp hiding in my fridge or freezer!  I skipped the tortilla strips here and subbed some orange juice for the orange zest.

Mango and Avocado Salad (from Food and Style)

Ingredients
 
For the vinaigrette
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest (use a microplane grater)
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest (use a microplane grater)
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Gold or Reposado Tequila
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco to taste
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

For the salad
2 bunches arugula – root ends trimmed, rinsed and spun dry
1 large ripe mango – peeled, cheeks cut in 1/8” slices
1 firm, ripe avocado – peeled and cut in 1/8” slices
 
1. To make the vinaigrette – place the zests, juice, Tequila, vinegar, oil, Tabasco and salt in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
2. To serve, place a few leaves of arugula in the center of each plate. Drizzle with half the vinaigrette. Top with slices of avocado and mangoes, alternating them and slightly overlapping the slices. Drizzle with the balance of the vinaigrette.