Healthy Sailor Colombian Salad

I add the "Healthy Sailor" to this title not because the vitamin-rich fruit and veggies ward off scurvy, but rather in homage to the originator of this recipe: my dear Colombian friend Maria... and her "colorful" language. When I met Maria, she spoke little English and I spoke little Spanish, but I soon learned the hard way that every other word out of her mouth was dirty (Hey guys, what does ___ mean?). Her sailor language may have turned people off, but her delicious summer salad always brought them back. Here is my interpretation. Spice it up with 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro and some expletives and you'll have Maria's original recipe.

Healthy Sailor Colombian Salad
Inspiration: A hot sunny day in Portland (this salad is really refreshing)
Time: 10 minutes, let salad sit in fridge if you want the flavors to marinate more
Difficulty: Oh so easy
Requirements: Chef's knife (according to Anthony Bourdain, this is all you'll EVER need)
Serving Size: 6-?

Ingredients:

1/2 head green cabbage
1 tart green apple
1 crisp, sweeter apple (I like Fuji)
1 mango
1 can mandarin oranges
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbs. olive oil

Chop the cabbage and apples into bite-sized pieces... but don't "slaw" the cabbage. Sometimes I peel the green apple if the skin is particularly tough or waxy (as granny smiths tend to be). Peel and cube the mango. Mix all of these chopped ingredients together and add the mandarin oranges (drained). Dress the salad with the lemon juice and olive oil.

You can play around with the citrus fruit ingredients here, but I find that the crisp apples are a must-have. Sometimes I add avocado... sometimes I substitute fresh nectarines for the mandarin oranges... it always turns out refreshing.