Sweet mango, creamy avocado and hearty black beans make this a summer salad with style and substance. Let’s make the most of tropical summer produce and put it front and center on our plates! 
This salad was a highlight of our Christmas Day feast. Chris’s mum presented it on a beautiful platter and I made sure to close by its place on the table, and to nab the leftovers (thanks Ruth!) for my Boxing Day lazy food preparation plans. I loved the combination of of tropical mango, creamy avocado, and the sharp bite of red onion. I added the black beans for some protein and snacked on bowls of this salad all day long. It’s the perfect antidote to our long, hot, summer days and I plan on eating this on repeat until the last mango disappears. 
Fact: I haven’t always liked mango! I know, a Queensland girl who doesn’t like mangoes? Blasphemous! For my non-Aussie readers, Queensland is synonymous with fantastic mango varieties. I just wasn’t too certain of the texture, but now I have seen the error of my ways and I’ve become a mango eating machine! Rather than eating them in a fruit salad, I love them in a savoury salad to add a little touch of sweetness from nature – try my Mango Salsa and Crispy Chickpea Tropical Quinoa Bowls for another savoury mango dish perfect for summer.
One of my pre-requisites for summer cooking is that it must resemble assembly more than actual cooking. Basically, I just want to slap a whole lot of already awesome things in a bowl or on a plate when I get hungry and call that a meal. And when nature is already providing some of her best wares all at the same time meal times don’t have to be a difficult affair at all. Starting with a bed of baby spinach I diced up a mango, an avocado, tipped on a can of black beans and some sliced red onion. I drizzled each serve with a maple, mustard, and lemon juice dressing and then let my fork do the walking. Fresh, simple, fast and delicious. That’s all I want for my summer meals. So go ahead and relax, make this easy salad for lunch, dinner, or any time in between. It’s summertime and the eating is easy.
Mango, Avocado and Black Bean Salad
| Gluten Free | Vegan | serves 2-3 | store leftover in refrigerator. dress just before serving
Ingredients
- 6 cups baby spinach leaves (or 6 very large handfuls)
- 1 medium mango (your favourite variety)
- 1 large avocado
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 400 gram tin black beans
For the dressing
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon wholegrain/seeded mustard
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Method
- Place baby spinach leaves in a large bowl.
- Peel and cube mango and avocado. Place both on top of baby spinach.
- Slice onion into very thin pieces and add to the bowl.
- Drain and thoroughly rinse black beans and add to the salad bowl.
- Toss everything gently but thoroughly until well distributed.
- To make dressing whisk everything together in a small jug. Pour over each serving just before eating to ensure that the salad doesn’t get soggy.
