Mango Cucumber Rice Salad
I hear most of the US population is sticking to their leather couches, eating popsicles for dinner and refusing to turn on their ovens. Sound about right? I think we got off easy with our 90 degree temps lately. Believe me, I’m not rubbing it in. I hear that we normally have hotter weather ’round these parts. Our time will come. Luckily we don’t have leather couches.
And when the heat comes, I think we’ll eat this Mango Cucumber Rice Salad for dinner every night. The only heat-producing appliance required is a rice cooker (or stovetop, obviously) and it’s packed with cool cucumbers, chunks of mango, crunchy almonds and toothy rice and quinoa. All dressed up in a light lime-cilantro vinaigrette.
What do you eat when you can’t bear the heat?
This salad would be great with some Perfect Grilled Lemon Chicken or some grilled chicken apple sausages!
Or by itself, really, if you’re feeling like a meat-free dinner.
(Besides ice cream, that is.)
Mango Cucumber Rice Salad
Yield: Serves 6-8
Total Time: about 45 minutes
Mango Cucumber Rice Salad is a perfect summertime meal with some grilled chicken! Don’t turn on the oven unless you absolutely have to!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups rice blend (I used a blend of brown and wild rice)
1/4 cup quinoa
Grated zest and juice from 1 lime
2 T neutral-flavored oil, like avocado
1 tsp honey
Freshly ground pepper
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (or 1/2 of an English cucumber)
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
2 green onions (scallions), thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sliced almonds or other type of chopped nuts
Directions:
Bring a large saucepan of water to boil over high heat. Add about 2 T of salt to the water, then add the rice. Cook for about 15 minutes, then add the quinoa to the water. Cook for an additional 15 minutes or so until the rice and quinoa are tender. Drain and and rinse under cold water until grains have cooled. Shake off excess water.
Meanwhile, whisk the lime juice and zest, oil, sugar, 1 tsp of salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the rice mixture, mango, cucumber, jalapeno, green onions, and nuts and toss to combine. Season with additional salt if necessary.
Nat’s Notes:
1. I didn’t have a jalapeno on hand when I made this, so I just added a shake or two of hot sauce to the dressing.
adapted from Food Network Magazine Jul/Aug 2011
Wow, looks amazing.
The flavours in this would be perfect together! Love that cilantro is in this recipe :-)
Oh, this sounds delish! Putting it on my list for next week. Thank you for all the wonderful meals! Almost every one of your recipes I've tried has been a huge hit with the hubby!
Can you see inside my crisper? Because I have a gazillion and a half cucumbers that need some love. And this salad is where they're gonna be thrown!
i live in canada. and we had 49C heat with the humidity index last week (that equals 120F) and i do have a leather couch :) and it's supposed to get almost that hot again this weekend… so i'll be making this for sure, thanks! (and ps, thank GOODNESS for air conditioning)
Love all of the flavors in this salad!
Natalie, this photo is breath-taking. It literally jumps off the page at me!
I love this recipe because I've been looking for some dairy-free dinner ideas :)
xoxo <—my new symbol so that you know it's Christina from DessertForTwo :)
Lesley – Good to hear! Glad I have a good track record with you guys ;)
Joanne – Yes. Yes, I can.
Meg – Amen to AC. Especially for you guys! ACK! I think I would be a lifeless puddle on the floor.
Thanks Christina… xoxo. :)
What a beautiful salad! I love the flavor combinations! It's a great treat for the heat! (hey…poetry!)
Fortunately, here in Florida, we're prepared for the heat and air conditioned up the gump-stump… so we do okay.
Stay cool and hydrated!
This sounds fabulous–as you know I love the mango/rice combo! :)
That serving platter/dish is beautiful too!
Ann – "Gump-stump" made me giggle. :) What exactly IS a gump stump?
Natalie – Would you believe I found that serving platter at Goodwill for $2?!
WOW – this looks so good!!! love the addition of mango :)
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Ohhhh this was soooo good! I made this to go with my ahi tuna steaks. *pats belly. Even my 11 year old liked it. I WILL be making this very soon! TY for sharing :D
Oh that sounds like the perfect side dish for ahi tuna steaks! Thanks for the suggestion and I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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