Mango-Tango Tacos

I'm just gonna skip right over the fact that I've been on a tiiiny bit of a new recipe hiatus since starting my new job and get straight to the good stuff. This recipe is my own invention made up of bits and pieces from a couple different recipes I found on good ol' Pinterest. Funnily enough, they were recipes I found when looking for slow cooker recipes (as I recently purchased one but had no idea what to actually use it for), and I didn't even end up using it to make it. If you're hoping for a run-of-the-mill, traditional Mexican taco recipe, you may be disappointed. But I urge to keep an open mind and keep reading, 'cuz while this ain't your average taco, it was CRAZY good, and simple to make too. They're the perfect fresh, light meal.

Yes, they are as delicious as they look. For my Mango-Tango Tacos, you will need...
- chicken breasts (I got pre-cooked, a little bit for the sake of convenience, but mostly out of my lack of experience cooking chicken and fear of giving myself salmonella, so two-birds really)
- Kraft's mango-chipotle dressing/marinade
- tortilla or soft-taco shells
- red cabbage
- sour cream (I like to use light)
- lime juice
- cilantro
- avocado
- mango
- red onion
- chipotle chili powder
- paprika

How to make it:
1. Prepare your chicken: Marinade your chicken breasts in Kraft's mango-chipotle dressing/marinade (and if using raw chicken, cook it however you like). I only marinaded mine for about 15 minutes because I didn't prepare ahead of time and was impatient, but the longer it marinades the more it soaks up the flavour. When finished, shred the chicken with forks.
2. Prepare your sauce: Mix sour cream, lime juice, chipotle chili powder and paprika together in a bowl to taste.
3. Prepare your mango-avocado salsa: Dice up your mango and avocado, finely chop your red onion and cilantro, and mix together in a bowl with lime juice.
4. Chop up your red cabbage.
5. Heat your tortillas in either the oven or the microwave. Load them up with chicken, salsa and cabbage, and top with sauce and a bit of cilantro.

Flavor explosion. Mind blown.

Tropical Cucumber Salad

This is a salad that I would definitely recommend trying before the summer is over. Not only is it brightly coloured, but it's so tangy and refreshing that you'll feel like you're on a tropical island vacation! Who would have known that crunchy cucumber, melt-in-your-mouth mango, and creamy avocado complemented each other so nicely (and deliciously)?! I'm sold!

Makes a great light lunch or a perfect side dish to any meal! The original recipe can be viewed here, and my adaptation consists of...
- cucumber
- mango
- avocado
- cilantro
- lime juice
- fish sauce
- canola oil
- vinegar (I used cider vinegar)
- brown sugar
- chili flakes

How to make it:
1. Chop up about half a cucumber, a whole mango and a whole avocado into cubes, and combine in a bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1 tsp. fish sauce, 1 tbsp. lime juice, half a tbsp. canola oil, 1 tsp. brown sugar, half a tsp. vinegar, some chopped cilantro and a few shakes of chili flakes.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss.