The past few days I've been craving the combination of mango and avocado! A couple nights ago we had a greens salad with mango, avocado and a nice champagne vinaigrette which was delicious and hit the spot! With leftover mango and avocado, I decided to try a new salad using the same combination. A simple search led me to a quinoa salad and I was immediately intrigued! I paired the salad with grilled sea bass, which made for a perfect meal on a hot summer day!
Grilled Sea Bass
Adapted from About.com, recipe found here
Ingredients:
sea bass portions for the people you're feeding (2 for us)
3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (I used dried)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp onion powder
lemon pepper and salt to taste (I used regular fresh ground black pepper)
Directions:
Preheat grill for medium heat. Combine onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle on both sides of fish. To prepare butter sauce, combine butter, garlic and parsley in a small saucepan. Remove from heat once butter has melted. Top fish with butter mixture. Lay fish, skin side down, on tin foil that has been lightly oiled. Wrap the tin foil around the fish leaving some room. Cook fish for 10-12 minutes or until fish is white and flakes easily. Remove from grill and serve.
Quinoa Salad with Mango, Avocado and Tomatoes
Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked quinoa (black, rainbow, red or original will work)
2 cups water
pinch of salt
1 large mango, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
3 green onions, sliced
2 medium avocados, diced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Using a strainer, rinse the quinoa under cold water. Toast quinoa on the stove top in 2 tbsp butter for about 5 minutes. Then, add quinoa, water and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool to room temperature. (I didn't have much time, so I stuck it in the freezer for about 15 minutes, and it cooled right down!)
In a large bowl, combine quinoa, mango, tomatoes, green onions and avocados. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil and cumin. Pour the dressing over the quinoa salad and gently stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
An added bonus is that this salad keeps very well in the refrigerator overnight! I had a delicious lunch of leftover quinoa salad today!
