Black Bean Mango Salad

It’s a beautiful Spring day in Minnesota but the weather lately makes me feel like I’m in Chicago - what’s up with all that wind!

The raised beds will get some much-needed compost this weekend and then I can plant my cool-weather vegetables; turnips, beets, spinach, collards, kale, and chard. I’ve been hardening off my flowers, onions, and leeks so they can also go in the beds. 

The straw bales experiment is going well and they should be ready to plant soon. I’ll try peppers and eggplant in there with the hope that the longer growing season will enhance the end result. 

My trip to the Arb plant sale this morning was successful; they had all of my favorite tomatoes and a few surprises. And yes, I will also go to the Hennepin County Master Gardener plant sale next weekend, it’s important to spread my money around and support my favorite peeps. 

We grilled brats (for Dan) a few nights ago and a new veggie sausage from Trader Joe's for me. The TJ’s sausage was good but could have used more herbs/spices. Field Roast Italian sausages remain my favorite.

No BBQ is complete without a salad so I chopped, measured, prepped, and dressed. The combination of black beans and mango is one of our favorites and the dressing pulled it all together. This makes a big salad but the leftovers can be put in the fridge and will be good for a few days. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 cups diced mango (about 2 large or 3 medium mangoes)
1 cup diced cucumber (½ English cucumber or 2 Persian or)
½ cup diced red onion

½ cup diced red bell pepper (about ½ pepper)
2 tablespoons seeded and fine diced jalapeno 

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
3 cups thinly sliced cabbage (red or mixed)
¼ cup chopped cilantro (leaves and light green stems)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained 

Mango Salad Dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (1 large lime)
¼ teaspoon sea salt or pink salt, or ⅛ teaspoon regular salt (adjust after tossing)
⅛ teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional - skip for mild)
½ teaspoon maple syrup 
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:

Using a vegetable chopper, dice mango, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, and jalapeno (see photo below for size reference). Using a knife, slice the tomatoes in half, slice the cabbage thinly, and finely chop the cilantro. Add to a large bowl, along with cooked black beans.

Add lime juice and seasoning ingredients to a small bowl. Pour the olive oil while whisking so it emulsifies and creates a rich dressing.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Chill until ready to serve.