2012 Best Bite #16: Ensalada Azteca, Native Foods Café

Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.

Why it’s a Best Bite: This is my idea of a salad: a bowl packed with bright, healthy ingredients – jicama, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, currants, and avocado, to name a few – that add diverse textures in addition to their flavors, and a punchy dressing – mango-lime vinaigrette – that brings it all together. The second time I ate this salad over the summer was after a beach volleyball game, and it was just the right way to refuel. View the recipe on the restaurant’s blog.

The details: Native Foods Café, 1484 N Milwaukee Ave. and 1023 W Belmont Ave., Chicago.