Hello :)
Today was the perfect day for a rest day off exercise as it just happened to be crazy humid and rainy all day. I love when my rest days coincide with bad weather days. Sometimes the stars just align. ;)
Meet my newest obsession: Mango on Salad.
Oh dear me. How have I never had mango on a salad before?
I know I said cherries are my favourite fruit, but after eating an insanely delicious and juicy mango today, I’m not so sure anymore.
It’s a close call.
I am willing to do hundreds of taste tests to determine the winner. If anyone knows of any fruit taste-offs, please give them my name.
Along with my avocado, romaine, and mang-OH salad (topped with Better than Bottled Balsamic vinaigrette), I had some Ezekiel bread toasted with tomato paste and leftover black bean + squash Enchilada filling from last night. It was divine!
I don’t know why leftovers get such a bad rep. I LOVE leftovers!
To me, leftovers = time saver = quick and easy lunches.
I present to you my INSANELY large salad bowl. Only fit for the most insane salad lover. ;)
The picture on the right kind of reminds me of this… ;)
[Source]
It should also be known that, occasionally, I eat salad straight from the salad spinner bowl. I’m about 6 years in etiquette school away from drinking tea with the Queen. Baby steps.
My afternoon snack was some delicious green fuel courtesy of the Green Monster. I still get emails almost every day from new Green Monster fans. Everyone starts the email off with ‘I can’t believe I waited this long to try one’ or ‘They looked so gross, BUT now I love them…’ :)
I can’t go more than a couple days without having one!
In the chocolate cherry banana kale GM: 1 cup almond milk, 1/2 scoop Amazing Grass chocolate powder, 1 frozen banana, 3 kale leaves, 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1/4 cup frozen cherries, 1 tbsp cocoa powder.
Sluuurrrrp.
Dinner was as quick as it gets…
An Amy’s Texas burger, hummus, t-paste, and Ezekiel bread.
I am off to clean up the kitchen, start packing for the Chicago trip, and then I am going to babysit my niece and nephew with Eric.
Tonight’s question: What are your favourite toppings to put on salads? Anything unusual that just works?
{ 100 comments… read them below or add one }
Bacon! Cheese! Sweet potato fries!
Really… I’m not joking.
Sweet potato fries on a salad sounds AMAZING!!!!!!!
LOL. I love you man. I really do. (Angela’s a vegan, btw… casual reminder :D)
Wei-Wei
I really like tomato paste…it goes with so many foods…like the taste a lot.
I love mango in salads! I make one with grilled chicken and slivered almonds and mango with a super light vinaigrette. So good!
Oh mango…how I love you. Too bad they are such a pain to chop up. I also love them in a salad. I take chopped up mango, small chunks of cucumber, shredded carrots, mint, and let all the flavors absorb together for a few hours in the frig. Amaaazing.
They are such a pain to chop up! I couldn’t agree more. My Mom got suckered in at William Sinoma and bought this “mango cutter”…it sucks. I swear it creates an even bigger mess! They sure are tasty though, so I suppose the mess is worth it ;)
Check out Kath’s tutorial!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfOiBxMSLTA
Toasted pecans and goat cheese for sure!
Corn is one of my favorite salad additions! Or sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) instead of dressing!
I like water chestnuts, I like the crunch of them, radish, raw mushrooms, Hommus, really I just love salads.
I really like plain, whole wheat pasta (Rotelli shaped, to be exact) in my salads! Just a little, to give some extra texture and boost how much it fills me. I need a huge salad bowl, I’ve been on the lookout for one because I too eat mine out of the spinner (or whichever mixing bowl I use)!! :P
That’s so funny, I am JUST about to cook up an Amy’s Texas burger!! Yum, I think I’ll also add hummus on mine ;)
Mmm mango on salad is absolute delicious! Peaches are also delightful in salads. They’re perfect right now too, because they’re in season. Peaches, mixed greens, basil, cucumber, walnuts…YUM
As always, great photos! Enjoy your evening!
xo
I love the combination of red onion and dried cranberries to sweeten up the acidity of the dressing. I also like to add some kind of protein – usually sunflower seeds, cashews, pistachios or walnuts. I also really love black beans. Sometimes I’ll add leftover tempeh or tofu (though I make those sparingly). Never had mango on a salad but I will definitely start! I hate when people think all salads are the same – there are endless varieties of salads that are all equally delicious!
When you said t-paste it reminded me of T-pain.. is that weird?
Not at all. lol :)
Lately I have loved adding seeds (sunflower, pepitas etc) to my salads for that extra CRUNCH!!!
My absolute FAVORITE salad topping of all time would have to be…shredded cheese! I am a cheese addict and a sprinkle of some goodness on a salad gets me every time. Oh and you can’t go wrong with olives and avocado!
Pickles! I love chopped pickles in my salad. And also any kind of frozen fruit (of course I would never put the two of them in the same salad).
Haha I’ll never make it to tea with the Queen…I lick my Magic Bullet blades daily.
I just did a post on leftover makeovers–leftovers are the best especially when they inspire new, amazing dishes.
My favorite salad topings are the leftovers from the day before! We almost always have some steamed or grilled veggies which I throw cold ontop of a big pile of greens!
Hallelujah for your mang-oh post. I am a huge fan (and practitioner) of adding fruit to salads — whatever’s ripe, juicy and in season, such as peaches, nectarines, mango, blueberries, raspberries, apples, you name it. And I always throw some pepitas in the mix for crunch and healthy fat. Leftovers go in the mix as well — usually roasted veggies for me and grilled meats for my husband.
Speaking of leftovers, I am so smitten with your leftover enchilada filling on toast. Genius!
There is something about veggies in a smoothie that makes it absolutely divine. It’s a better pick-me-up than coffee.
I loooove salads with mangos (hence the email address, twitter name, blog title, etc)! I usually do salad with avocado, black beans, tomatoes, onion, mango, roasted/pickled peppadews, and either slivered almonds, or if I really want something special, macadamia nuts, so, so good!
Mango is my favorite fruit if it is perfectly ripe. I’m so picky about mango though. I can’t remember ever having it on a salad. I bet it is great!
I looove strawberries on salads! It makes it so fresh and colorful and amazing :)
fruit like strawberries and mango are the best with walnuts or pecans. i’m drooling just thinking about it!
I like to add all sorts of nuts, dried fruit, roasted soy nuts, pineapple, orange slices, sweet corn, and beans to my salads. (Not all at once obviously!) Dressing-wise, sometimes I mix balsamic vinegar or lime juice with light Italian dressing. Or, depending on the type of salad, I like to thin out hummus with some lemon juice and drizzle it on top.
Don’t worry, I too will never be eligible etiquette-wise to eat with the Queen. My salad bowls are usually about the size of my head and I’m pretty sure I eat way too fast!
When my aunt told me she thought my green monsters looked gross, I was honestly surprised! I think they look so yummy! I guess that’s just from experience. :)
Okay. I am THE mango lover and I don’t think I’ve ever put mango on a salad. How is this possible!!! I have to do it now!
My favorite salad toppers (not necessarily together) are goat cheese, chickpeas, olives, roasted red pepper, hearts of palm, toasted walnuts or pecans and stawberries.
Mmm I’m craving a big salad now!
I love pickles on my salad – so good!
Mango is great on salads – as are pears, apples, and blueberries.
Some of my favorite toppings for my salads are nuts, beets, nooch, avocado, or shredded nori.
Also, I made your better-than-bottled balsamic vinaigrette (delicious by the way!) and I noticed after a few days in the container (I can’t eat a half a cup of dressing that fast, haha) the dressing seemed to curdle</I., I guess would be the word I'm looking for. It had a thick foam on the top after I had shaken it to redistribute the oil among the other ingredients.
Has this ever happened to you?
For sweet: strawberries, walnuts and a balsamic reduction….mmmmm!
For savory: roasted red peppers and chickpeas or hummus
you should try mango, pecans and dried cranberries. SOOO good. I put it on spinach with goat’s cheese, but you could replace the cheese with your own dressing.
Love the mango! I’ve only had it many once or twice– I should try it more often!
I looove putting dried cherries or cranberries or raisins on salads. Also love toasted sesame seeds, almonds, or sunflower seeds. Mmmm salad :) Yours looks delish!
ahahahaha i am not kidding you, that salad bowl compared to your little plate made me crack up! Soo hilarious and I will never judge you for it!
My new roommate is getting introduced to my green smoothie making. She raised an eyebrow but didn’t it looked gross (I had my brother doing that for the past 4 months). I know they look crazy, but green smoothies are the best. I don’t encourage others to try them and no one has asked much. But I wish they would. I would tell them how awesome green smoothies are and how much I crave them. They changed my life!
I’m pretty sure that olives make almost everything 100% better. I rarely have a salad without them.
Yummy veggie burger. I am totally on a veggie burger fix lately.
Beets, goat cheese, feta cheese, walnuts – all fave salad toppers of mine!
Raw corn, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, salsa, or even miso and honey. Yum!
I have never thought to try mango on salads! I guess mainly because I’m from the camp of “fruit should not mix with savory items”, haha :) My faaaavorite thing to put on salads is avocados and sun dried tomatoes. Aaaamazingggg!
Please inform me how you resisted leftover enchiladas today???
I like adding grilled marinated tofu to salads…yum!
Raisins, 1 TB of tomato paste w/ 1-2TB hummus, apples…seriously salads are where I dump whatever I have in it. I just LOVE salads because they have NO rules
i just bought a mango- now i know what i’m going to do with it! that salad looks delicious :)