Brazilian Hearts of Palm & Avocado Salad

Wash all fresh produce thoroughly: wash 1 head butter lettuce, 200 g cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 red onion, 30 g cilantro, 2 limes, and 1 mango. Pat everything completely dry.

Place 30 g raw pumpkin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 3-4 minutes, tossing constantly, until they are fragrant, slightly puffed, and golden. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Make the vinaigrette: Squeeze the 2 limes to obtain 60 ml of fresh juice. Finely mince 1 clove of garlic and finely chop 15 g of the washed cilantro leaves. In a small bowl, whisk together the 60 ml lime juice, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, 1 tbsp honey, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Slowly drizzle in 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil while whisking vigorously to create a smooth, emulsified dressing.

Cut 2 avocados in half, remove the pits, peel, and slice the flesh into 1 cm thick wedges. Immediately place the avocado slices in a medium bowl and gently toss with 2 tbsp of the prepared vinaigrette to coat them completely, which prevents them from browning.

Drain 400 g of hearts of palm and slice them into 1 cm thick rounds. Halve 200 g of cherry tomatoes. Dice 1/2 cucumber. Finely slice 1/2 red onion. Peel and cut 1 mango into 1.5 cm cubes.

Tear 1 head of butter lettuce into bite-sized pieces and arrange them as a base on a large serving platter or across 3 individual plates.

In a large bowl, combine the sliced hearts of palm, halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, sliced red onion, and diced mango. Pour the remaining lime vinaigrette over the mixture and toss gently to combine.

Spoon the dressed salad mixture over the bed of butter lettuce. Arrange the coated avocado slices on top, garnish with the remaining 15 g of fresh cilantro leaves, and sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds before serving.