This mango avocado salad is drizzled with a cool, creamy avocado lime dressing and topped with blackened tofu bites (or shrimp or chicken, if you prefer) for protein! It's a wonderful combination of sweet, salty, and spicy flavors, with crunchy and creamy textures, and it's great for meal prep, too.
Drain the 14 oz. firm tofu and dice into cubes about 1-inch large. Pat the surface dry with a clean paper or kitchen towel, and mix in a bowl with the 1 tablespoon blackening seasoning. Heat a large heavy skillet until very hot, then add the 1 tablespoon butter and melt. Add the tofu and cook on each side until spices and butter have turned a deep, dark color and have crisped a bit on the outside. Add more butter if necessary. This will take approximately 6-8 minutes total.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a food processor, combine the remaining 1 small avocado, the ¼ cup sour cream, the 2 tablespoons lime juice, the ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and the 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Turn the food processor on until everything is very smooth. Add water as necessary to thin out the texture to desired consistency - I like to be able to drizzle mine.
Arrange the salad ingredients on a large platter or evenly divided onto four plates or salad bowls: starting with the 5 oz. salad greens and topping with the diced 1 mango, diced 2 small avocados, ½ cup thinly sliced red onion, and ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, dill, mint, and/or basil.
When you are ready to serve, add the tofu to the salad and drizzle with the dressing.
Notes
Blackening seasoning is a mix of spices that may vary and are usually spicy, and often include paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. You can buy it premade, or make your own. But blackening really is more the process of cooking something coated in the dry spices in butter over high heat - the high heat creates a black color and crust on the outside from cooking the dairy particles in the butter and really toasting those spices. So really, the combination of spices isn't super important here - use what you have! I used my favorite BBQ rub, and taco seasoning or something similar would also work here. That way, you can make it as spicy or mild as you prefer.
For a vegan or dairy-free option, substitute the butter with a vegan substitute. You could use oil to cook it up, though it won't be truly "blackened" as you are missing those dairy particles. Still delish, though! And for the dressing, use a vegan substitute for sour cream/Greek yogurt, or just use more avocado.