Sometimes one new great recipe can brighten up your whole repertoire of meals. A colleague of mine shared this salad recipe with me years ago. It felt like a ray of light amongst our usual selection of green salads and cooked veggies. All the ingredients were foods we regularly purchase but I had never put them together in quite this combination. It’s just another reminder to keep trying new things. The challenge for many is finding the time and energy to search for recipes, find something that looks good and then buy all the ingredients. You might be better off swapping favourite recipes with friends and family. A friend of mine took it one step further and emailed all her friends to ask them each to share one of their favourite recipes. It’s a wonderful way to get a whole new list of “tested” recipes to try. Do you have a favourite summer recipe? I'd love to hear it! Share your recipe in the comments below!

Black Bean Mango Salad

Time to prepare: 15min. Makes: 6-8 servings.

This salad goes great with a barbeque meal or leftover as a healthy lunch or snack. You can even use it as a salsa for tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
0.5 cup Spanish red onion, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, chopped
1.5 cup corn kernels, from a can, frozen thawed or cooked and cut off the cob
1 sweet red or yellow pepper, chopped
0.5 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (or fresh basil if you aren’t a fan of cilantro!)
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped

Dressing

1 clove garlic, crushed or minced
1 small red chilli, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp crushed chillies (optional)
2 Tbs. lime juice
4 Tbs. olive oil

Add all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently to combine.
Whisk together dressing ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour over salad and gently toss. Salt and pepper to taste.