Easy, breezy mango-centric summer salads that’ll make you love the Tommy Atkins
I dedicate this post the Mango Hunter – Jeff Ray, who is known to occasionally bad mouth the Tommy Atkins on social media. This summer her rejoins our Summer Mango Mania with more Recipe Roulette and we decided to challenge his notions and teach everyone one of the best parts about this firm fleshed mango and its ability to stand on its own in a summer salad- fruit, lettuce or otherwise! You can use any mango in these salads but we prefer the tommy and hope Jeff makes the recipes using them too, just to show us all how versatile these mangoes can be.
Most important our favorite mango-centric summer salad recipes are seasonal, inexpensive to make and easy to whip up. Maybe most importantly that can feed a hungry crowd (elegant or casual) and please them with massive doses of #MangoJoy. With these salads in your mango repertoire you wont just be able to utilize mangoes more efficiently but all fruits, vegetables, vinegars and citrus juices-keeping final dishes light, fresh and healthy.
Mango Red Cabbage Bean Salad with Spicy Lime Vinaigrette
Serves 6-8
Bean salads make a healthy and filling summer meal. They are packed with protein, can be served cold and withstand sitting out at the BBQ. This one is super quick to toss together and laden with healthy vegetables and tasty mangoes. A spicy -enough for all, but not too spicy- vinaigrette tops it off. This is the dish you will want to bring to the BBQ all summer, trust us. And trust me you also want to use good beans, they are more tender and taste better. Rancho Gordo is my pick.
Use Tommy Atkins mangoes if you can, their firmer flesh stands up in this hearty salad.
Ingredients
1 pound of white beans
3 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup champagne vinegar (O brand with citrus is perfect)
2 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups shredded red cabbage
½ cup chopped bell peppers, red, yellow, orange or a combination of
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 ripe mangoes, cubed small
1/4 cup olive oil ( use a good quality olive oil)
Juice of 2 limes
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
Cook the beans per the instructions on the bean package. Make sure you do not overcook the, we don’t want them to soft. They should be firm on the outside, soft inside. We like to add the salt at the end of cooking beans, during the last 30-40 minutes of cooking.
Once the beans are cooked. Strain the water out of the beans and put them in a large flattish bowl, douse them with the vinegar and let them come to room temperature.
Toss in the spinach, cabbage, peppers and cilantro leaves and mix up. Add the mangoes and gently mix up again. Drizzle the oil and lime juice over the top and sprinkle the spice over it all. Gently mix together and refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.
Thai Noodle Salad with Avocado and Mango
Serves 6-8
This could be the most decadent, fresh-tasting salad you will ever have. It’s relatively easy to make and reaps healthy and tasty rewards. Fresh raw vegetables are paired with slurpy noodles and herbaceous fresh flavors, drenched in a tangy Thai-inspired sauce. Avocadoes and mangoes balance out the potent flavor with nutty and sweet notes. It’s a dish that’s cooling and satisfying during sweltering hot summer nights. Add grilled rib eye steak slices if you want to get meaty fancy!
Ingredients
For the dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons spicy red chili paste
¼ cup peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon soy or tamari sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the Salad
1 package (14 ounces) gluten free Pad Thai-style rice noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
¾ cup sliced thin rounds of English or Persian cucumbers
½ cup chopped small red bell peppers
½ cup shredded carrot
4 green onions, sliced very thin in rounds
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 large ripe mango, cubed bite-size (about 1- 1 ½ cups)
1 medium avocado, cubed bite-size (about 2 cups)
¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup torn basil leaves (green, purple or Thai variety)
¼ cup chopped, salted roasted peanuts, plus 1 tablespoon reserved for garnish
Lime wedges
Directions
Whisk all of the salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl until totally combined. Alternatively, shake them up in a Mason jar.
Cook the noodles per the directions on the package, making sure to cook them only to al dente. After the noodles are cooked, rinse them with cold water to ensure the noodles stop cooking and strain. Once they are full strained, toss them together with the sesame oil in a large mixing bowl.
Add the cucumbers, red peppers, carrot, green onions, cabbage and cherry tomatoes to the bowl with the noodles. Gently fold in the mango, avocado and herbs. Toss with the dressing and refrigerate for about 20 minutes before serving.
Serve the noodle salad garnished with roasted peanuts and lime wedges.
Fresh Mint Mango & Melon “Salad” with Thai Basil Chili-Lime Honey Drizzle
Serves 6
Fresh fruit, flavored with honey, herbs and chilies is one of the most refreshing salads for the most intensely hot summer days. All over the world people eat mangoes in part to quell themselves form intense heat, same with chilies. This one seems unexpected, but its truly the most refreshing thing ever. And most of all its easy to whip together on the fly. A pretty finishing salt from My Herbal-Roots is the perfect topper.
Make sure your melons are super cold! You can make this salad with sliced melon and mango or cubed, both work.
Ingredients
½ medium cantaloupe, seeded, sliced and peeled
½ medium honeydew melon, seeded, sliced and peeled
2 mangoes, halved and sliced into wedges
Handful of thai basil leaves, chopped
Handful of cilantro leaves, chopped
Handful of purple basil leaves, chopped
1 serrano chili, seeded and chopped fine
1 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons very hot water
½ teaspoon finishing salt or Chili Mint Finishing Salt
Directions
Arrange the fruit on a platter and toss the herbs over the top. Whisk together the lime zest and juice, honey and hot water and drizzle it over the top.
Chili Mint Finishing Salt
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
½ cup super-finely chopped mint leaves
2 tablespoons super finely chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 red chili pepper, deseeded and chopped super fine
1 green chili pepper, desseded and chopped super fine
1 ½ cups Maldon flake salt
Directions
Pre Heat oven to 225 degrees F.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all of the fresh herbs and zest. Gently fold in the salt and using your fingers, make sure the herbs and the salt is mixed well. Place the salt/herb mix on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper so that its spread out evenly across the entire sheet and flat. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 -25 minutes or until the herbs and chilies seem to have a lot less moisture. Store in a small bowl on your counter for a few weeks.
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