Fruit Market Finds and Black Bean Mango Salad

My husband and I in a quest to become healthier have taken up walking. I was also in need of a few veggies so we headed over to Layton Fruit Market near Milwaukee's air port. I used to frequent that place when we lived closer. I would then strap my then baby daughter into her stroller and walk a mile to get there and then around this cute airport park. That's where my hubby and I went today.

We got 8lbs of oranges for $4.99. They are huge! Also the olive oil was $4.99. In the regular super market it is 3x's that amount for the same oil. The bread was on clearance and with the portobellos I am making mushroom and onion sandwiches on crusty bread for lunch. For dinner I am making Artis' areapas or pita pockets stuffed with tomatoes, meat, pine nuts and seasonings. The side dish is going to be this mango black bean salad I saw on the Nate Berkus show. It looks awesome! I used red peppers too in it but at $3.99/lb I won't be buying any red peppers soon. Here is the recipe.

Black Bean Mango Salad
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
½ cup Italian dressing, any kind you like (use fat-free or low-cal) see note
Two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed (I have ones I froze)
½ cup chopped red onions
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a food processor or blender, take ¼ cup of the mango with the Italian dressing until smooth.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining mango with the beans, red onions, and peppers. To the bean mixture, add the mango puree.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and chill until ready to serve.

Note: instead of using bottled dressing I made my own. I have some Greek seasoning I recently purchased from the Milford Spice Company online. Here is how I made the dressing.

1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Greek Seasoning or use Italian
1/4 c vinegar
2/3 c Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt

I mixed all the above in a blender with the 1/4 mango as in the recipe and it tastes great but also tasted great without the mango.

Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches
2 Portobello mushroom caps wiped with a damp cloth to remove dirt
1 small Spanish or sweet onion diced
2 TBSP EVOO
salt and pepper
1 tsp butter

If you wish you may leave the caps full without dicing them but I prefer to dice them. If you keep them whole just brush the sides with EVOO and grill them for about 2-3 minutes each side. I dice the mushroom tops discarding the stems. In a small frying pan heat the olive oil and add the diced onion. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms. They will release a lot of water so do not season them to the end. They will be fully cooked after 2-3 minutes.  At the end remove from heat add the butter and salt and serve over crusty Italian bread. I also like to slather some mayo on the bread. It keeps the bread from becoming too soggy.