It’s another scorcher here in DC. Temperatures like this tend to diminish my appetite for cooking, but they don’t dampen my enthusiasm for salad. This summery salad with mango, cucumber, avocado, and curry vinaigrette is a perfect antidote to all of the heat, and it’s also a wonderful medley of flavor and color.
A few years ago, I confessed to a raw foodist friend that I didn’t much care for mango. She looked at me as if I’d just confessed to disliking babies or puppies. “I know,” I said. “I’m pretty weird about fruit.”
It’s true: I disliked most fruit as a kid, and to this day I have certain strange aversions. I like to think, though, that blogging has opened me up to more fruit and helped me to expand my tastes. Green smoothies encourage me to eat more pineapple and citrus, and lately, I’m loving cherries as a mid-morning snack. Most shockingly of all, I’m really warming up to mango, so long as it’s fresh and ripe, and now’s the right moment in the year for it.
Not surprisingly, I suppose, the way I learned to love mango was by throwing it into my meal-sized salads. (I wonder if you could persuade me to eat just about any food by putting it in the right salad? Probably.) This mango and avocado kale salad is now a favorite of mine:
…and I recently made a spicy mango and tomato salad that I loved, too. Today’s salad—a random mix of greens, mango, red pepper, and a curry dressing that brought it all together beautifully—is my new favorite, and I hope it’ll be one of yours, too.
Such a burst of color!
This salad would be a really good appetizer for summer dinner parties, as well as a good weekday lunch. If serving as a meal, I’d suggest serving with some of your favorite raw crackers (I’m working on a flax cracker recipe this week, so I’ve been going through tons; that was my side dish!), some seared tempeh for extra protein, or a small fruit smoothie as a nice and refreshing dessert.
Happy munching to you all, and see you here tomorrow.
xo
Images for this post updated in January 2017, courtesy of Lighter.
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As a person who doesn’t like to eat salad, I would definitely rate this as 10/10! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
The curry vinaigrette was astounding. Probably the best vinaigrette I’ve ever had.
Followed the recipe exactly as written except used only about 3/4 of the dressing. I used mixed baby greens. Super yummy and looked gorgeous! A definite keeper!
Thanks for posting! I love mango so much! I shared this in my July meal plan article.
This is my kind of salad! Sweet and spicy with one of my favorite combinations – mango and avocado. Yum ๐
I made this last night for dinner, using kale instead of baby greens. It was so delicious and a great change of pace from my usual dressing. I served it with a Masala burger from Trader Joe’s. Such an easy and quick meal! Thanks!
Good stuff…And I appreciate the fruit confession although I love mango.
The curry vinaigrette sounds awesome. I love the idea of using avocado as a base ๐
Woah- that looks super yum!! I am drooling over here! Mangoes and avocado in any salad = incredible!
You know, I don’t care for mangoes either. Guess it time to try them out; I do feel like I’m missing something. The salad looks lovely!
This looks great! Thanks for sharing!
I love mangoes but they don’t love me. I get a rash wherever the mango skin touches me so I stopped eating them, so sad! I will make this salad with a different fruit though as it sounds delicious.
Mangoes have similar chemicals (though in much lower quantities!) in their skins as poison ivy, however, that chemical is NOT in the flesh. If you have someone who will peel them for you, you should be completely fine!
I second this!
Gloves!
High five! I can’t count the number of times I’ve almost been de-citizenised as an Australian for admitting that mango is not my most favourite of all the things. But I do like it in small doses. Like here. Yes.
Mmmm, heat. Although, in all fairness, it’s one of Canberra’s gorgeous sunny winter days today, so I’m not *as* envious.
Wow, this salad looks divine, I adore mango with curry and what a beautiful presentation!
I get that look when I say I don’t like mango – I love most fruit but am still a little underwhelmed by melons and I just can’t bring myself to like mango – I think it is all the orange and mango drinks I had as a child which were never my favourite – but your post gives me hope I might learn to love it
I’m also underwhelmed (good way to put it) by melon!
That looks perfect for this heat and humidity.
Would lemon juice be a good substitute for vinegar? I don’t like to use vinegar in my recipes, but lemon juice isn’t always a good substitute. What would you suggest?
I think both lemon and lime (or a combo of the two) would work well!
This salad sounds like an amazing lunch for sultry days! I’m especially interested in the curry avocado dressing–most intriguing.
I’m with you on fruit. I’m just not as crazy about it. I work it into my pre-workout smoothies or cereal because I know I need to, but I’d choose a veggie over a fruit any day.
gorgeous salad! I am loving avocado and mango in everything right now! This is perfect ๐
I am always amazed when people tell me they don’t like mangos or watermelon!
For years my mum told me I’d hate them just so she coud eat have them all to herself (so remembering this for When I have kids!)
This salad looks amazing and fresh. Thanks for sharing x
I’m the opposite, I’ve always loved fruit. I was really picky as a kid and fruit was one of the few things I loved eating.
That salad looks awesome.
Yum, this dressing sounds delicious! I’ve never liked mangoes, either (and I love most fruits), but maybe one day I’ll warm up to them like you have!
You know you’ve got a great dressing recipe when I got up to make a batch only to come back and realize that I didn’t finish reading the post the whole way through! It’s super! (though I subbed out almond butter for the oil)
Also, I don’t know if I could eat grocery store mangoes – I’m fortunate to have them fresh from the tree and I’m spoiled. It’s kind of like getting tomatoes from store vs. heirloom tomatoes from the farmer’s market – they’re picked for stores so under-ripe ๐ What Janet says, is good, too, though – its worth trying different varieties!
I love mango in anything and in a salad, totally perfect!
Do we have ESP?! The answer is yes. I made curry guacamole yesterday!
…i love you.
What is about the heat that kills the appetite? Kinda nice for weight control, I suppose. I’m moving to San Antonio soon b/c my husband will be stationed with the AF there & I think it will be a lot easier to eat more raw foods when I live there.
(I too love mangos, especially in salsa.)
Looks like a fantastic summer salad, Gena! I am glad you have warmed up to mangoes, but let me tell you that not all mangoes are created equal. Only tried the big green Tommy Atkins? Well, that is where one makes their first mistake.. The Mexican Altaufo is probably the easiest to find that tastes good… then after that, the Indian Alphonso and Pakistani Honey mangoes are uber glorious… so smooth and sweet. Problem is the cost and they have a limited season and availability. I can only get the Alphonso in Little India for 2-3 weeks in May.. Honey mangoes come out late in the summer, though, so I will have to keep my eyes peeled.
I agree Janet. Watch out for those green, hard ones, that’ll kill anyone’s taste for mangoes, for sure! But when you get a ripe, juicy one–nothing like it.
Thank you, Janet! Invaluable insight into the world of mangoes ๐
For as much as I love mango I have yet to put it in a salad. This is like one of my green smoothies, slightly deconstructed ๐
This looks delicious Gena. I have a mango that I’ve been meaning to use and now I know exactly what to do with it.