the perfect summer salad

In an attempt to get back to eating a little healthier, I decided that participating in The June Salad-A-Day Challenege would be a fun and creative way to add some more fruits and vegetables into my diet. I really do like salads, but I only have about two staples that I go to when I'm in the mood to make one. I think this will double as a creative outlet for me to come up with some different salad recipes, as well as give me an excuse to go to the Farmer's Market more often :D

The challenge is to eat one salad a day for the month of June, and as Barney from How I Met Your Mother would say, "Challenge Accepted" ;)

Day 1: Raspberry Mango Salad with a Lemon Olive Oil & Chia Seed Dressing

To me, this is the Perfect Summer Salad because it is light, super refreshing, and contains good fats to absorb all of those vitamins. Rich in protein, fiber, Vitamin A, and antioxidants such as Vitamins C & E, this salad is packed with nutritional value. Hints of lemon and olive oil create a waist-friendly dressing, while also complementing the flavors of mango & raspberry.

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:

• 2 handfuls of your favorite greens. I used spring mix and baby spinach, rinsed and dried
• 1/2 cup of rinsed fresh raspberries, pat dry
• 1 ripe mango*
• 1/8 cup of raw almonds, roasted
• 1/2 teaspoon of chia seeds
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• pinch of salt & pepper

*Note: To see if your mango is ripe, gently squeeze the mango to see if it gives in a little. It will be soft to the touch.

Directions:

Roast almonds on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven until golden brown and aromatic, ~5 minutes. You can also do this in a toaster oven.

Rinse raspberries, salad greens, mango, and pat dry. Cut mango into slices, set aside. (For more directions on how to cut a mango, see the *Note at the end.)

To make the dressing, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into a bowl. While whisking, add the tablespoon of olive oil to make an emulsion. Stir in chia seeds and a pinch of salt & pepper to taste.

To assemble the salad, simply add the salad greens, raspberries, mango slices, and toasted almonds to your salad bowl. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!!

*Note: How to cut a mango into slices:

Mangoes contain a fairly large seed in the center of the fruit, so the object is to cut around it.
Stand mango upright on your cutting board. Using a sharp knife, make a vertical slice down each sides of the mango. The skin will still be intact. Using your sharp knife, make slices within the sides of the mango you just sliced off. Take a spoon and scoop out the slices.

I wish I would've taken step-by-step pictures of how to slice it. I didn't think about it until it was too late... :( Hopefully that how-to makes sense to you all, but if not, you may have better luck Googling it :P

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I will probably make a post on here about twice a week that will have the recipes I come up with for this June Salad Challenge. If you decide to participate in it too, share what you come up with! :)