mango

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Mango Salad with Spinach, Blueberries, Walnuts, and Feta Cheese takes only 15 minutes to make – perfect for a busy weeknight. Your family will love vibrant, healthy, and fresh ingredients tossed in a light homemade Lemon Honey Mustard Dressing.  This Summer salad looks fancy (yet easy to make!) – a definite crowd-pleaser to share with friends and to bring to picnics, potlucks, and Summer cookouts.

Simple mango salad

15-minute everyday salad. Fresh diced mango(s) are combined together with spinach, blueberries, honey walnuts, feta cheese, and homemade Honey-Mustard dressing. The salad comes together in less than 15 minutes! It’s simple enough to serve as an everyday salad, lunch, or even light weeknight dinner.
The fancy choice for special occasions. Blueberries and mango in a green salad make a stunning presentation with little effort. Surprise your family and friends with this colorful side salad at Summer parties, picnics, potlucks, or on a special holiday occasion.
For more mango salad inspiration, check out avocado mango salad and spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries, mango, avocado, cashews, and balsamic dressing.

Healthy salad

If the simplicity of this recipe (15 minutes total!) and the beautiful presentation did not convince you yet to make this salad, this should. This salad is packed with healthy ingredients! Mangoes themselves are a nutritional powerhouse supplying you with plenty of Vitamin C. Blueberries are a great source of Vitamins K and C, as well as Manganese (an essential mineral our body needs).  Spinach is also highly nutritious and a great source of Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, and Calcium. This mango salad is high in fiber, provides healthy fats and protein (thanks to walnuts), and is packed with Vitamin C!

Make it a meal

Light meal. Mango salad makes a great lunch, midday snack, or even dinner for when you want to keep things light.
Add protein, such as grilled, baked, or cooked chicken, steak, shrimp, or salmon to make it a complete meal! I recommend simple garlic butter shrimp or juicy, pan-seared chicken thighs.

Salad ingredients

Mango is packed with nutrients, such as Vitamins C, B6, A, Folate, and Copper. 1 cup of diced mango provides approximately around 60% of the daily value of Vitamin C. Quite impressive, don’t you think?
Blueberries are highly nutritious and low in calories, and very tasty! They will make any salad vibrant and colorful.
Spinach is a leafy green vegetable high in fiber and is a great source of many vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium. Use this delicious and healthy veggie in your summer salads!
Walnuts. These delicious nuts add texture and crunch. They are packed with healthy fats and are a good source of protein. They are also rich in copper, folic acid, phosphorous, and manganese. They also provide Vitamins B6 and E.
Feta cheese is quite nutritious, as well, and is a great source of calcium. This delicious cheese has a soft texture and briny flavor.
Simple dressing.  Dress this quick and easy mango salad with a delicious homemade dressing made with just 4 ingredients: honey, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and lemon juice. I recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice (not the bottled kind) and extra virgin olive oil. You can use either maple syrup or honey.

When is mango season?

Even though the mango season technically runs from May through September, usually you can find imported mangoes at many grocery stores all year round. I’ve definitely made mango salads for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the past! So while it’s considered a Summer fruit, you can actually find it pretty much any time of year.

How to tell if a mango is ripe?

Skin color. The mango is ripe when the outer skin is mostly orange or red, with just spots of green (or no green at all).
Texture. When you press on the skin, ripe mango should have a little give. If the skin is too soft – the mango might be too mushy and over-ripe. You want to get the mango that is just right – mushy mangoes are no fun!
Unripe mango will be green or the majority of the skin would be green with just a spot of orange or red. It will also be really hard to the touch, with no give when you press on the skin. Unripe mango has a sour taste, and it’s harder to cut it than ripe mango. Let the mango ripe before using it in salads.

Do you peel mango skin?

Mango skin has a tough texture and somewhat bitter flavor. It’s not really tasty, and it also contains some compounds that might cause allergic reactions in some people. I always peel mango using a vegetable peeler. Mango just tastes better and looks better when peeled.

Variations

My favorite thing about this mango salad with blueberries and spinach is that it’s easily customizable with a variety of ingredients. Use what you have available and feel free to swap in your favorite fresh fruit, cheese, nuts, seeds, and a variety of greens.

Fresh fruit. The next best substitutes for mango are peaches, nectarines, or apricots. You can also add fresh apples or pears.
Cheese. My favorite cheeses to use in a mango salad are feta, blue cheese, and gorgonzola cheese.
Greens. Swap in your favorite salad greens: mixed greens, baby spinach, arugula, or butter lettuce. Or, a mixture of any of these.
Nuts. I love using walnuts and pecans in salads. You can also add toasted sliced almonds, pine nuts, or macadamias. Candied or flavored nuts work well here, too.
Seeds. If you don’t like the idea of nuts, add sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds.
Dried fruit. Add dried cranberries or Craisins. You can also use dried figs, blueberries, cherries, or raisins. Tip: You can plump up the dried fruit by briefly blanching it with hot water.

Storage Tips

It’s best to serve mango salad right away, so I recommend making just enough so that you have no leftovers.
If you do have leftovers, the salad can be refrigerated for 2 days. It’s best to refrigerate the salad and the dressing separately.

What to serve with mango salad?

One of the easiest ways to dress up this salad is by adding pre-cooked shrimp, cooked rotisserie chicken, or even sliced cooked steak strips. Mango salad also pairs great with any grilled meats and seafood. Here are some other ideas:

Garlic Butter Shrimp
Honey Garlic Glazed Salmon
Cajun Chicken
Cilantro-Lime Honey Garlic Salmon

Other mango salads you might like

Avocado Mango Salad with Arugula and Pine Nuts
Spinach Strawberry Salad with Mango, Blueberries, Avocado, Cashews, and Balsamic Dressing

The post Mango Salad with Spinach and Blueberries appeared first on Julia’s Album.

Looking for more ideas? I post recipes I find on other blogs here. I share information about kitchen equipment I use here. Since I often order ingredients from Amazon (I live in a rural area and don’t have easy access to grocery stories) and my list of items I commonly order here. Finally, here is a list of my favorite cookbooks.