It’s mid winter here in New York and I am craving a tropical vacation. So what is the next best thing? This recipe for Chopped Mango, Avocado + Macadamia Nut Salad. It has all the flavors of the tropics ~ juicy mango, creamy avocado, toasted macadamia nuts, and a vegan Creamy Hemp Seed Citrus Dressing.
Mangos are available year round, with certain varieties even peaking in the winter months (thankfully!). That’s when I am usually fighting off the winter blues and need a taste of the tropics. And a good dose of vitamin D.
My favorite type of mango to use, to enjoy out of hand and also in this salad, is the champagne mango. They are small, have yellow skin, and are incredibly juicy and sweet on the inside.
But if you cannot find champagne mango, grab the red skinned ones. Just look for one that is ripe, meaning it slightly gives when you press on the skin.
Radicchio adds a bitter punch to this salad
As for the avocado, same deal. You want a ripe one with a slight give to the touch. Definitely not mushy. We’re not making guac here… Mmmm… guacamole.
For the greens I love butter lettuce with in salad, as it is tender and mild in flavor. If you want some crunch go with romaine lettuce or even chopped iceberg mixed with mesclun greens.
I also use a little radicchio here, for a slight bitter punch. And it pairs perfectly with the sweetness and creaminess of the dressing, mango and avocado. Feel free to omit radicchio if you prefer.
Seek out the champagne mangos if you can find them
To peel or not to peel…
My favorite cucumbers to use in salads are the english variety, as they are crisp and firm. For presentation I like to partially peel “stripes” down the cucumber before slicing. Then I slice thin. But feel free to leave skin on or peel it completely off if preferred.
Persian cucumbers are also great, they’re also crisp and firm.
And my #1 tip with cucumbers is to salt them and let them drain on paper towels after slicing. This draws out the moisture and concentrates the flavor.
TIP: salt cucumbers after slicing to bring out the flavor
Creamy Hemp Seed Citrus Dressing goes perfect with this salad
For the delicious dressing, I whipped up this dairy-free Creamy Hemp Seed Citrus Dressing. It has mixed fresh citrus juice, a little shallot, honey, olive oil, and hemp seeds. It comes together in a jiffy and is creamy thanks to puréeing the hemp seeds.
To assemble…
Now that you have the ingredient rundown, here are my salad assembly tips and tricks.
- gently toss salad before adding dressing
- add a little of the dressing and give another gentle toss
- top with nuts, seeds and a little more dressing
- serve right away while crisp and fresh
That about wraps it up for this recipe. Hope you enjoy it if you make it! And if you do, please comment below or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your kitchen creations!
Like salads? You might like these recipes…
Mango Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing (vegan, GF)
Persian Shirazi Salad (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 recipe Creamy Hemp Seed Citrus Dressing recipe link in blog post!
- 1 large head butter lettuce or one clamshell butter lettuce
- 1 small head radicchio chopped
- 1 ripe mango peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted and chopped
- 1 english cucumber, sliced peeled or unpeeled, and sliced
- 1 carrot peeled and julienned or shredded
- 1 tbsp hemp seeds
- 1/4 cup toasted macadamia nuts
Ingredients
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- in a large bowl, gently toss lettuces, mango, avocado, cucumber and carrot with a little of the Creamy Hemp Seed Citrus Dressing
- top salad with seeds and nuts, then drizzle a little extra dressing on top, serve right away
Recipe makes 2 - 4 side servings, depending on how much salad you like!
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com