Mango Tastes Like Sunshine...

The Inspiration

If you are like me, being inspired to make salads as a part of your weekly menu can be a challenge.  I'm endeavouring to change that, and I'm constantly on the look-out for satisfying and creative ideas.  I've found, over the course of the last couple of years, that restaurant menus are a great source of inspiration and I'll even look up a restaurant's menu online - the descriptions are a great jumping off point.  

A couple of months ago my friends and I hit Commercial Drive, in Vancouver, looking for a new eating experience.  There are so many great options, so it's hard to get everyone to agree on one place.  After walking up and down the drive, we settled on a cool looking place that was hopping with customers (usually a good sign).  Our eating adventure was The Havana.  And the salad I chose was delicious and the inspiration for this next dish.

Avocado, Shrimp & Mango Salad with Lime Chili Dressing

What you'll need:

• Lettuce greens
• Mango
• Avocado
• Red pepper
• Cilantro 
• Red cabbage
• Strawberries
• Lime
• Chili flakes
• Sweet chili sauce
• Olive oil
• Butter
• Shrimp

As with any salad, you can adjust the ingredients to what you have on hand or what looks good in the store. Choose the salad greens that you like. I added purple cabbage to get more cabbage in my diet!

Dice mango, avocado, red pepper. Slice strawberries, rip cilantro and shred cabbage. (I arranged everything on a platter and then everyone built their own at the table.) Shell your shrimp.

To make the dressing, zest and juice the lime. Combine with olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes and a dollop of sweet chili sauce.

Melt butter in a heated frying pan with a bit of olive oil to keep the butter from burning. When melted toss in your shrimp. When cooked through - just pink, remove and dice. Return to pan and add 1/3 of the dressing. Toss to coat and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.

Homemade!

At the table: Start with a generous amount of greens. Then add cilantro, cabbage, red pepper, avocado, mango, strawberries. Dress your salad, add shrimp and Enjoy!

I don't know if I was craving mango, or what, but this salad has so much flavour -I'm pretty sure it tastes like sunshine.