Mango Chicken Salad
I was talking to Bethany yesterday, and she was a little flummoxed about lettuce bounty--in her CSA box, in her garden. That's the thing with lettuce--there's really nothing to do but eat it fresh. Something more sturdy, like kale, collards, or chard, can be cooked down and shrunk. But darn if those heads of lettuce don't crowd out everything else in the fridge and taunt you with their healthiness and perishability.
I'm having my own Lettucepalooza here, so it's salad time. As you may have noticed, I don't make much attempt to vary my diet for the purpose of this blog. I may have salad every night this summer, but that won't keep me from talking about it again. I've shared this tip before, but washing, drying, and wrapping my greens in paper towels is the single biggest factor in me eating and using them. A big head of unwashed lettuce is pretty intimidating at the end of the day when everyone is hungry. After I've washed and spun my greens (in a salad spinner--duh! I couldn't live without it), I pull off about 4 paper towels from my roll and keep them hooked together in a strip. I lay my greens out evenly along the strip, then roll the whole thing up like a towel--not too tight, but not so loose that pieces fall out. Then I put the roll in a big Ziploc bag, and they keep beautifully for a week.
Today was a marathon--two big events at Wyatt's school, more catering shopping, Yancey at the station. We're all tired. Though Wyatt just said, "Mom, today was the best day of the whole school year." I hardly saw him tonight at the party--he was too busy fraternizing with his little friends (and eating God knows how many pieces of cake). One thing I'm happy about is my kids are great at making friends, but they still have good boundaries. They amaze me, both of them, every day. And while reading books to Wyatt, he said, "Mom, do you want me to rub your head?" What's better than that? Not even this ambrosial salad.
Mango Chicken Salad with Honey Sesame Vinaigrette
Serves 4. In the hot places where mangos and avocados are grown, it must be their season. Is it? Anybody know? We can't get enough of them lately, and they're ripe, cheap, and perfect everywhere. The kids have been eating a couple mangos each per day! And I've been eating almost as many avocados. They're the good fat, right? And we're still nibbling on that rotisserie chicken. I love it when the stars and seasons align for endless salad combinations. You could use baked tofu in this salad or just leave the protein out.
4 big handfuls washed greens (I used arugula)
2 ripe but not too soft mangos, cubed
2 avocados, cubed
2 c. cooked shredded chicken
2 red jalapenos sliced into rings (I don't seed these because they're mild--to my taste, at least!)
1/4 c. slivered almonds
handful chopped fresh cilantro
handful fresh mint, torn over the top at the last minute
Arrange greens on 4 plates. Top artfully with everything else. Drizzle dressing over.
For dressing:
2 Tb. sesame seeds
4 Tb. honey
2 ts. soy sauce
little bit of salt
red pepper flakes
4 Tb. rice wine vinegar
3 Tb. sesame oil
Whisk everything except sesame oil together. Whisk in sesame oil, tasting all the while. Add more of anything to your liking.
June 13, 2009
Reader Comments (8)
I love salads as well, and I could eat them every day if it was ok with the rest of our little family, which of course, it isn't. The salad looks soooo good. And what Wyatt said just made me almost cry for a few seconds. how sweet!
i guess i need to be looking for mangos. what a perfect salad! do red jalapenos come marked as such? why don't i know about them? and, can you give the instructions for that roasted tofu you did when i was there. you know, the one i thought smelled like pot (not that i would know). you often say that tofu can be substituted, but i'm interested to know your specific temp and time. i tried it the other day (with the super protein tofu from TJ's), but it got all weird and rubbery. help!
Hello, dearest. Got my birthday present in the mail today. Thank you! Can't wait to read (and eat). You can find instructions for tofu http://inpraiseofleftovers.com/2009/04/28/tofu-collard-and-cauliflower-salad/" rel="nofollow">here, and I'm sorry yours didn't turn out the first time. xoxo
duh...thanks for the obvious recipe directional. and, i'm more excited about the bit you haven't received yet. we'll see if it gets to you at the spa. btw,that was quick for mail...i sent it yesterday!
What a shame that my husband is allergic to mangoes ... and apples ... and pears ... and too many other things to list. It can be frustrating, but we don't want his throat tightening up or his eyeball blowing up the size of a tennis ball again, now do we?
Looks delish. And Wyatt sounds like a sweetheart.
My mom made this salad for us for dinner tonight. It was absolutely a-mazing! We used red bell pepper instead of jalepenos & added a bit of red onion. Oh, and we used less honey. Other than that, we followed the recipe & it was a perfect meal. Thanks! :o)
I made this tonight (minus the almonds, lettuce and sesame for kids) and was a hit! I made the full on salad for Steve and I and wished I had made more! I was tired tonight and today was the first time in a while (well it feels like it) that I have read your site. I'm glad I did so that I would have something yummy on the table waiting for my husband (and to wish you a happy birthday!)! Last night was "make it yourself" kind of dinner because I was too busy! Thanks again for your simple, and delicious recipes. Oh, and I have to add that since I bought the basil plant, Steve has been cooking with it too! I had to do a double take when he opened the back kitchen door to pick some basil leaves from the plant. He rarely ever cooks! And to add basil to his eggs and goat cheese is over the top for him.
I made this for David this evening for dinner in honor of Father's Day (since he will be working tomorrow). He loved it. Thank you, as always, for the inspiration and equipping us all to use the kitchen as another expression of love and care. Hope your time away was wonderful.....but we all missed you.