It’s days like this that make me wish I owned a convertible – sunny, 78, and not a cloud in the sky!
Perhaps a different kind of “convertible” than I drove in high school though…
I’m pretty sure they don’t even make the tiny bumper cars otherwise known as Geo Trackers anymore. It was the car I inherited from my older brother when I turned 16, drove all through high school, and cleverly (…) named The Track Attack. I know.
Even though it weighed approximately 100lbs, and I felt as though I’d fly off the side of the road and into the sunset if I went faster than 40 miles per hour in her, I still have very fond memories of my first whip.
Whenever the weather got nice, my friends and I would fling back the top and remove the detachable back, then cruise around town with the wind whipping through our hair blasting everything from Tiffany to Dr. Dre and singing along at the top of our lungs. Then we’d fill up the tank for $.98/gallon. Gosh, those were the days!
I turned the keys over to my little brother when I went away to college so that he and others could continue the fun. And by others I mean the men that once stole our beloved Tracker out of my parent’s driveway and were found sleeping in it two blocks away later that day.
Just say no, people!
Anyway, the moral of the story is, a convertible would have been nice to cruise around in during this unbelievably unbelievable day, but a functioning sun roof and jog under the sun will have to suffice – until I get my Mini Cooper Convertible, that is. ;)
After said run I whipped up a super satisfying, no-cook springy supper – Mango, Orange & Avocado Salad.
Ok, I know I say this a lot – but seeeeeeeriously, if you’ve got to make one thing right away, it is this salad. Refreshing, energizing and you don’t have to cook a thing!
Start by segmenting 1 orange. Cut the top and bottom off, slice the peel and pith off by following the curve of the orange, then slice between the segment membranes to pop them out.
Next, peel and chop 1 mango. Cut the bottom off, peel the skin with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, then cut the two “cheeks” off the pit and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Turn your attention to 1 avocado next. Slice the avocado in half by cutting around the seed and twisting the two halves apart. Then use a spoon to pop out the seed, or gently tap a knife blade into the seed and twist it out. Scoop out the avocado flesh, or do what I do and peel the skin off, then chop.
Toss the orange segment, chopped mango and avocado with a zippy homemade vinaigrette.
Just combine the juice of 1 lemon, 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar,
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 1 teaspoon agave nectar (or honey.)
Add in salt, pepper and 1 shallot that’s been microplaned or minced and shake, shake, shake!
Add the chopped fruits onto a bed of baby lettuces, top with cashews, more pepper, and a drizzle of that dressing.
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Mango, Orange & Avocado Spring Salad
Description
Mango, Orange & Avocado Spring Salad is refreshing, satisfying, and so simple to make!
Ingredients
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon agave nectar (could use honey)
- 1 shallot, microplaned or finely minced
- salt & pepper
- 1 orange, segmented
- 1 mango, chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 6oz baby lettuce blend
- 1/4 cup cashews
Directions
- Combine lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, shallot and salt & pepper in a jar or bowl. Shake or whisk to combine. Toss orange segments, chopped mango and chopped avocado with the dressing. Divide lettuce between two plates, then top each plate with half the fruit mixture and half the cashews. Finish with a sprinkle of pepper, if desired.
Notes
Inspired by Healthy, Happy Life
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
A silver Oldsmobile Celebrity. Name: The Celebrity Deathtrap Extraordinaire.
Sounds like a great salad. My quandary is how do you pick an avocado at the grocery store? And if it’s green, how long do you wait for it to ripen?
Looks good! I would have given up everything in my life to own a tracker :) Before I could drive, I wanted a teal one with pink writing so very bad. Good thing times have changed :) Giving up my life for a tracker now, seems silly. Keep cooking away girl, you’re so good!!
This salad just screams spring time! And I love how flavorful the combination is – mangoes, avocado and oranges? What a great tasting way to boost your nutrient intake!
I had a first car called the punkin’ (Bright orange, and a front fender that stuck out about 6″ from the car!) But my high school memories were made in the “airplane car”… Subaru turbo were the only names on it, so to this day, i have no idea what model it was… but a digital dashboard, a sunroof you had to manually remove & stow in the trunk… and the oldest of my friends made me the coolest kid on the block!!
To those of you saying you had a cavalier… my husband is STILL (!!!!) driving his high school z24… and he refuses to part with it! UGH!!!
It’s definitely salad weather here in Barcelona, and this looks PERFECT! Thanks! By the way, your car looks really cool, even for 2012..
My friend had a Jeep all through high school and it reminds me of our summer days when we would take the windows off and enjoy it! Sucked being in it when it rained though because of all the places water would leak in! My first car was a 93 Honda Civic Ex (standard that I taught myself to drive… yikes) and was named POS, or Piece for short ;-) I have to say, I don’t miss that car!
The car I have now is a sporty Chevy Cobalt that I named Antonio Banderas. Really just because it’s fun to say things like, “See you later, Antonio Banderas and I are off!” Haha
I love the Tracker story! So cute. I drove a Chevy Cavalier named The Smooth Beast. HA!
Those really WERE the days when gas was that cheap! I (still!) drive a 98 Honda Civic…she’s been good to me :)
I drove a lovely little teal Oldsmobile Cutlas Supreme whose name was Baby (nobody puts Baby in a corner….!)
It’s going to be 75 and sunny here in MN today and now you got me debating between making this mango salad or the Spinach and Chicken Stir Fry with raspberries you posted yesterday!
Anyway, my first car was an ’84 Chevette that I bought for $675. It was read so I called it my “Little Red Chevette” (adapted from and sung to tune of the Prince song…”
in highschool my sisters and i drove a white ford escort. and it was a stick shift! imagine trying to learn how to drive on that thing! and the license plate last 3 numbers were 666! it’s amazing that thing lasted through 3 of us newbie drivers (and it was already like 6 years old when we first got it!) but my first car on my own was a isuzu amigo blue – i named her angel – i was a wee bit obsessed with buffy. and she was a soft top too!
In 2000 when I started driving I got a 1992 Suzuki Esteem, which was about the size of a clown car, and called it Suzi. I looooved that car, and drove it until the wheels just about fell off. I was actually sad to see it go when I got a new-to-me Mazda in 2005. What was I thinking?!
I was the last in line for the car that got passed down through the family and it was a 1976 malibu classic with bench seats in the front and back. We could pack 11 girls in that car. It was a tan color like skin so it was called the fleshmobile!!!
I cannot believe you had a Geo Tracker. I totally envy you. Awesome. And the gas at $0.98? Those were the days! I had a ’91 Escort and I called it the Power ‘Scort. Equal parts terrible and amazing. :)
That salad looks incredible. I made a spinach salad last night with grapefruit and scallops and it was pretty much amazing. Thinking cashews would have taken it right over the top!
oh my god this looks divine!!!
Love the story about the car. That looks like kind of car I thought was so cool when I was a kid. Remember the jeep from Clueless? Yeah, that was my dream car, oh gosh.
This salad looks amazing and fresh. I can’t wait until it gets a little warmer around me to enjoy something so spring-y!
The first car I had was a tank – literally almost a tank – 79 Thunderbird. I have always been short and couldn’t see over the steering wheel so I had to sit on a pillow to see! It was nicknamed the Thunder Toad since it was green. I did so many curb checks in that car because it was so big!!
That car was borrowed from my dad until I bought my first car – 90 Geo Metro. I paid $700 for it. It was a four door red with a hatch back and a dent in the front passenger wheel well. The guys always teased me asking if it rained to hard that day! There were two other girls I went to school with that had Geo’s so we called ourselves the Geo Trio!
Was the salad filling enough for dinner without much protein? I am thinking we would need to add some chicken or serve as a side. Looks beautiful and delicious though!
The avocados and cashews made it hearty enough for me, but grilled chicken or fish would be divine on top!
I also drove a Geo Tracker! It was a 1990 and got passed down through our family. It lived til 2007. Go Geo, built to last!