Sweet & Spicy Fresh Salad
Fresh, crisp and piquant salad with fresh carrots, cucumber, peppers and mango in a sweet and spicy dressing is a perfect warm weather side salad for tacos or grilled fish or chicken.
Growing up, I ate a similar salad made with tart, green unripe mango, but you can BE BRAVE and use fully ripe mango adding a little more sweetness to the salad.
Traditionally one would use cilantro in this salad to keep with the Thai-inspired flavors here, but if you are not a fan of cilantro, you are welcome to substitute with parsley instead.
This salad is best served fresh, but you can certainly store leftovers, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Remember, the spices will intensify the longer it sits!
Enjoy!
Spicy Mango & Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
(* indicates my preferred ingredients – see notes for alternatives)
1 red bell pepper, julienned
2 large carrots, julienned
1 English cucumber, julienned
1 -2 mangoes, sliced or julienned
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup minced cilantro
½ cup roasted peanuts (or nuts of your choice)
2 teaspoon O&V Spicy Mango dip *
4 tablespoons O&V Mango Pulp vinegar *
3 tablespoons O&V Peperoncini oil *
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Runamok Maple Syrup *
Salt and pepper to taste
Lime wedges for serving
Preparation
In a small bowl, combine the pepper jelly, mango pulp vinegar, pepperoncini oil, minced garlic and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Julienne the peppers, carrots, cucumber and mango and combine in a medium to large bowl. Add the halved tomatoes and minced cilantro. Toss gently to combine.
Drizzle the dressing from the small bowl over the salad and mix well. Serve garnished with the roasted peanuts and wedges of lime for squeezing on top
Serves 4 as a side salad
Active time 15 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes
Notes
* The Peperoncini EVOO adds a wonderful back end, creeping heat to the dressing that is perfectly balanced by the sweet and tart flavor of the Mango Pulp vinegar. For less heat, you can use 1 tablespoon of Peperoncini oil and 1 tablespoon of an unflavored EVOO. The Spicy Mango Dip adds great sweet and spicy notes. You can try using a mango flavored pepper jelly in its place like Mango Madness. It is all balanced out by the Runamok Maple Syrup.
Be sure, if you substitute any items to use high quality replacements. but the Mango Pulp vinegar is a key ingredient, and is hard to replace with just another vinegar.
All highlighted products are available at Oil & Vinegar stores
Categories: Soups & Salads, Sides, Gluten Free, Diary Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Mediterranean Diet, Mango & Cucumber Salad, Thai Inspired, Pepper Jelly, Mango Pulp Vinegar, Peperoncini Oil, Runamok Maple Syrup, Summer Eating, Taco Accompaniment.
