Avocado-Mango Salad with Fresh Cheese and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds (

This salad's combination of textures, tastes and colors makes it a culinary triumph.

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• Family Dinner
• Healthy Recipes
• Summer Season
• Party Menu: Mexican

A Compelling Salad

From the Mexican mind-set, both buttery avocado and tropical mango derive beautiful benefit from chili, salt and lime. All three form a foundation for this avocado-mango salad's dressing, along with sautéed garlic's savory aroma and honey's mellowness. Add the crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds, the tenderness of Boston lettuce and the savory saltiness of crisp bacon and fresh Mexican cheese, and you have a compelling salad. It's the least substantial of my main course salads -- perfect for hot-weather appetites. Also, feel free to scale down the size of the portions so you can use this delicia as the first course for a special dinner. Or serve the large portions with grilled chicken breasts for a more substantial meal.

You Will Need
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup hulled, untoasted pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup vegetable or olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
Fresh hot green chili to taste (I like 1 large serrano or small jalapeño), stemmed (optional)
1 tablespoon honey
Salt
1 large head Boston/butterhead lettuce (or an equivalent amount of Bibb lettuce), leaves separated
2 large ripe avocados
2 ripe mangoes
A generous 3/4 cup coarsely crumbled Mexican queso fresco or mild blue cheese (Gorgonzola is great)

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• Follow these three easy steps and you’ll be eating delicious toasted pumpkin seeds in no time.
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My friend's wife returned from a tour of duty in the Middle East. To celebrate, he decided to take her out for a night on the town. Proud of her service record, he suggested she wear her uniform. Not only did a patriotic taxi driver refuse to accept money from them, but an appreciative citizen paid for her meal at the restaurant, and the theater manager upgraded their balcony seats to the orchestra. At the end of the evening, my friend turned to his wife. "I still get credit for taking you out, right?"

-- Jodie Stoddard

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