The theme for our May gathering of Gourmet Dinner Club (GDC) was ‘Island Time.’ I was excited for the opportunity to make something tropical as I don’t generally cook with many of these ingredients at home (Ed isn’t a big tropical fan). I signed up for a green salad and started exploring my options.

I decided on a mango dressing and built the salad around it. This dressing gets its creaminess from puréed mangos. This is a much healthier way to make a creamy dressing as most start with a dairy or mayonnaise base. I used frozen mango chunks that I defrosted ahead of time – about 1-1/4 cup of mango chunks equals one large mango. In addition to the mango, there’s lime and oranges juices, a jalapeño pepper plus some cilantro. I recommend stirring in the jalapeño pepper and cilantro by hand at the end otherwise it will make the dressing a murky green color (rather than a lovely orange hue).  The mango isn’t overwhelming but provides a nice subtle flavor and color. 

For the salad, I used mixed greens as a base, added an aloha pepper, roasted macadamia nuts and crumbled cotija cheese. Aloha peppers are both red and yellow and have a sweeter flavor than a traditional red or yellow pepper. It was the perfect type of pepper for my tropical salad. Cotija cheese is from Mexico. It’s easy to crumble and has a salty flavor similar to feta, but not quite as creamy. If you can’t find cotija, feta is a good substitute.

Between all of the contributions to our meal we covered many tropical fruits and flavors. Not only was the meal tasty but also very colorful.

Tropical Green Salad with Mango Dressing

 

Tropical Green Salad with Mango Dressing
Print
Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For Dressing:
  • 1 large ripe mango peeled, pitted and roughly chopped (see Notes)
  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice (~ 2 to 3 limes)
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice (~ half an orange)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
For Salad:
  • 5 ounces mixed greens
  • 1 aloha pepper (or red pepper) cut into small cubes
  • ½ cup macadamia nuts, toasted and roughly chopped (see Notes)
  • ⅓ cup crumbled cotija cheese
Instructions
Make Dressing:
  1. Combine mango, lime juice, orange juice, honey, cumin, garlic and salt in a blender or Vitamix.
  2. Purée on medium speed until smooth.
  3. With motor running add olive oil and mix until emulsified.
  4. Stir in jalapeño pepper and cilantro.
  5. Taste and add a bit more salt, if needed.
  6. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Shake well before using. Makes about 2 cups.
Make Salad:
  1. In salad bowl, add greens, aloha pepper, macadamia nuts and cotija cheese. Toss well.
  2. Pour or spoon on dressing just before serving. You will have leftover dressing.
Notes
* You can substitute 1-1/4 cups of frozen mango chunks for a fresh mango. Thaw mango before making dressing.
* To toast macadamia nuts, preheat oven to 350°F. Place on a shallow baking pan and toast for 3 to 5 minutes until browned and fragrant. Toss pain occasionally. Watch carefully so they do not burn. Chop nuts after toasting.
Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

 

Source:  Variation of a recipe from The Café Sucre Farnie