Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad
I’ve gotten a little ahead of myself with the CSA Wednesday posts, and because some of my favorite summer produce is still ahead I’m going to cut back to every other Wednesday so I have time to prepare. I wholeheartedly believe that tomatoes, summer squash, and peppers deserve their own posts!
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 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?
(Besides ice cream, that is.)
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SaveMango-Cucumber Rice Salad
Total Time: about 45 minutes
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 grapeseed
1 tsp raw sugar, honey, or agave nectar
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.
Serves 6-8.
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
Kalyn — July 27, 2011 @ 1:35 pm
Wow, looks amazing.
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Jolene - EverydayFoodie — July 27, 2011 @ 3:04 pm
The flavours in this would be perfect together! Love that cilantro is in this recipe :-)
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Lesley — July 27, 2011 @ 5:01 pm
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!
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Joanne — July 27, 2011 @ 5:19 pm
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!
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Meg — July 27, 2011 @ 5:44 pm
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)
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Maria — July 27, 2011 @ 9:12 pm
Love all of the flavors in this salad!
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Christina — July 27, 2011 @ 10:05 pm
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 :)
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Natalie — July 27, 2011 @ 11:06 pm
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. :)
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Ann — July 28, 2011 @ 12:44 am
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!
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Natalie — July 28, 2011 @ 4:36 pm
This sounds fabulous–as you know I love the mango/rice combo! :)
That serving platter/dish is beautiful too!
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Natalie — July 28, 2011 @ 10:56 pm
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?!
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Two fit and fun gals — October 25, 2011 @ 1:38 am
WOW – this looks so good!!! love the addition of mango :)
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