Avocado, Mango, Lime and Black Bean Salad

I walked into the kitchen and noticed I had some extra mangoes that needed to be used.up. What to do, what to do? Then I remembered my dear friend Chef Dosa had made a black bean salad with mango and avocado when she was here once and we really enjoyed it. I got an idea for some additional ingredients and this is what I came up with. I served it on a bed of mixed greens, along with some spicy sesame crackers that I prepared from my leftover almond pulp. While the beans are not raw, the rest certainly is. Feel free to modify this as you see fit. This had a Summery feel to it making me long for warmer weather.

Avocado Mango, Lime and black Bean Salad
 1 cup black beans
1" strip Kombu (optional)
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
1 mango, pitted and chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp honey (or agave)
2 Tbsp raisins
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped (or 1 Tbsp dried)
1 Tbsp dulse flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp coconut water vinegar or brown rice vinegar
Romaine, spinach, boston leaf or your favorite greens

Rinse and soak black beans in water for at least 4 hours. Boil for 1-2 hours with strip of kombu (this helps eliminate the flatulence factor in beans). Rinse and drain.

In a large bowl mix all ingredients except greens. Stir with wooden spoon. Let sit for 30 minutes to let flavors blend and serve on a bed of greens. We enjoyed them with some almond pulp crackers I had dehydrated. Very light and refreshing!