Avocado and Mango Salad with Ginger Dressing

Family dinners have been a little tradition with our Logan Circle crew. I love meeting up with friends and sharing food that we've all made. The potluck aspect is the best part. Everyone makes (or Lizzie buys) something to share and we watch Top Chef (we used to watch Lost...tear) and pig out. Last time we got together, Anya made the most delicious salad with a ginger dressing that had avocados, mangoes, and shrimp. I had never eaten that combination before and it was sensational. Something about the creamy avocado with the sweet mangoes really won over my taste buds. The shrimp was the perfect compliment to the avocado and mango, but for this salad, I just did avocado and mango. You see, I went to Restaurant Week lunch at Art and Soul and I had fried chicken and ribs...for lunch. It's OK, I made this salad for dinner so that I didn't actually explode.

Avocado and Mango Salad with Ginger Dressing
Ingredients:
1 avocado
2 mangoes
2 carrots
1 head of butter (or other) lettuce
2 tsp. grated ginger
1 lime
1 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. honey
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1. Wash and dry your butter lettuce and slice it into large pieces. Place in a large bowl. Butter lettuce has a very nice texture and crunch that is smoother than regular lettuce and I think it stands up well to the sharp dressing. Romaine would also work, but I would steer away from a bitter green for this since the dressing has so much bite already.
2. Grate the carrots and slice the mangoes into 1 inch pieces. Toss the carrots and mangoes into the bowl with the lettuce.
3. Slice your avocado in half. I think it's easier to use a spoon to loosen the meat from the skin and then slice the avocado on my board. You can also slice it right in the skin. Slice 1 inch pieces and toss into the salad.
4. Break off about a 1 inch piece of ginger. Peel and grate it into a small bowl to make the dressing.
5. Whisk together the ginger with lime juice, vinegar, honey, and oil. Add 1 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
6. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the bowl with the lettuce and avocado and mango pieces. Pour over the dressing and enjoy the salad!