I am a nomad, a wanderer, an earth child, one with mother nature.

Perhaps a little extreme, but I do feel akin to an adult Dora the Explorer these days.

We went to Asheville, NC this weekend and bopped around. Every single time we go to a new city, I am reminded that I am my best self when traveling for fun. Allow to overshare.

One – because I know I’m going to get some fresh selfies with my boo thing. Two – I LOVE going to places where there is 0 chance I’m going to run into any human being I have ever encountered. Can you say liberating?! Three – I get to debut new outfits to an entirely new audience. Strangers are the only people I trust. Four – I like pretending to be a local wherever I go and acting like I have a clue what I’m doing. For instance, when exiting an establishment and heading to the next, one must always be prepared to immediately turn left or right. Do not lolly gag outside of the place of business asking your travel bud where to go. FAKE IT UNTIL YOU FIND SOMETHING KEWL. Five – all the new tastes in my mouth from all of the delightful, local restaurants. If you travel and go to the Chili’s….we need to have a conversation. I just love traveling around the hunk of land we call America with my man. Even better that we get to live all over the doggone place and move every couple of years to get a feel for everything. I really am obsessed with not knowing where we’re going to be next or for how long.

Unless they send us to the middle of nowhere Iowa or something, then I’m OUT.

 

 

Time: 45 minutes (prep + cooking) | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango
• Juice of 1 orange + zest of 1/2
• 3 tbsp. of lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. of ground ginger
• 1 tbsp. of sweet chili paste
• 2 tbsp. of cilantro
• Arugula
• 1/2 a red onion, sliced thin
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup of roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup of quinoa, cooked
• 1 avocado, sliced thin
• S+P, to taste

How to:

• In a food processor, combine mango + orange juice + zest + lemon juice + vinegar + ginger + chili paste + cilantro + S+P, process until smooth
• To assemble salad, arrange arugula on a plate + top with some red onion + some cherry tomatoes + some pumpkin seeds + some quinoa + some avocado + drizzle with dressing, repeat with remaining ingredients
• Serve chilled
• Pick up a fork in each hand + scoop together large heap, slingshot at face as if your mouth is the bullseye

 

Salad dressing adapted from here!