Crunchy Mango Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing

This crunchy mango salad with avocado cilantro dressing will quickly get you out of your salad rut! Packed with flavor, texture and so filling, this salad is anything but boring. This simple salad is gluten free, vegan, dairy free and so simple!

I have a confession to make. I haven’t bought salad dressing in over 2 years. I have fallen in love with homemade dressing and I never knew how easy it was to make your own dressing. I envisioned having to get out my blender every time I wanted to whip up a quick salad. Even after watching the Food Network for years and years, i was always convinced my dressing wouldn’t be as good as the stuff from the store. Boy was I wrong. And this avocado cilantro dressing, well you will want to make salad just so you can pour it on top of something! It’s so good.

My favorite salads always have the same characteristics, something crunchy, something sweet and a salad dressing that I could drink out of the bottle. This crunchy mango salad hits all those points and than some. I should just call this my Trader Joe’s Salad because it’s full of all my favorite Trader Joe’s finds. You will find the ingredients for this salad in my grocery cart just about every week,  I’m obsessed with finding new combinations for crunchy jimica, sugar snap peas, organic red onions and those shredded carrots. Oh and you can’t forget the frozen mango chunks. Those are my go to I’m craving something sweet solution!

Crunch Mango Salad Spotlight

So the mystery ingredient, jimica. Yes i’m obsessed. After Suz consumed almost all of her meals in Mexico on jimica chips, I was on a mission to try to recreate that experience. But jimica is an ugly veggie (it’s actually a Mexican turnip). And I didn’t feel like dealing with peeling and chopping when my friends at Trader Joe’s cut it into perfect matchsticks for me. Seriously, don’t just walk by these next time you are in the store. They are so good and refreshing. And you can’t beat the crunch they add to any dish. They kind of reminding me of a really refreshing not so sweet apple.  i’m going to try jimica fries this weekend too, I’ll let you know how they turn out.

Why you should love jimica – it’s 86-90% water, and is mostly dietary fiber (a cup of jimica is 6 grams of fiber). Jimica is full of oligofructose inulin, which is a soluble fiber that cannot be absorbed by the body. Oligofructose inulin is also prebiotic that can help with gut keeping your gut healthy. It gives the beneficial bacteria in your body the fuel they need to flourish!  Why I love jimica though, it’s full of potassium (for muscle recovery) and Vitamin C because I am around a ton of sick people 24/7 at the gym. Gotta keep my nutrition game on point!

Trader Joe’s is also my go-to source for avocado, I get like 2-3 bags at once. I swear I eat an avocado or more a day. #teamhealthyfats And this dressing is a great way to get those healthy fats in. If you normally choose a “fat free” dressing or just dress you salad with vinegar you are missing out on all those healthy fats that make you skin glow, help you absorb all those fat soluble vitamins and of course fill you up! You will be surprised how much more satisfying salad is when you add healthy fats (and protein).

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Crunchy Mango Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Perfect for lunch or dinner, this crunchy mango salad with avocado cilantro dressing is so simple to make. Vegan, gluten free, dairy free recipe!

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Lunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 237kcal

Author: Samantha Rowland

Ingredients

• 3-4 cups of romaine leaves chopped or salad greens of choice
• 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen mango chunks defrosted slightly and cut into smaller cubes
• 5-6 sugar snap peas chopped
• 5-6 jimica sticks chopped
• handful of shredded carrots

Avocado Cilantro Dressing

• 1 large ripe avocado mashed with fork (or two smaller avocado)
• juice from 1 large lime
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 1/4 c.. unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/4 c. water depending on how thick you want the dressing
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt I used a small pinch
• cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions

• To assemble the salad, chop all the ingredients than layer in a bowl the the lettuce and top with the remaining veggies and mango. Serve with avocado cilantro dressing

Avocado Cilantro Dressing

• Mash the avocado with the back of a fork.
• Squeeze the lime onto the avocado and sprinkle with garlic powder. Chop the cilantro and add to the avocado. Stir well. Add the milk to help thin out the avocado into a dressing. Add water until you achieve the consistency you love. This dressing lasts a day or two in the fridge if properly sealed.
• Cooking time reflects the time to make the dressing.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 825mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 157% | Vitamin C: 104.3% | Calcium: 4% | Iron: 9.6%

Tried this recipe?Mention @bites_of_wellness or tag #bitesofwellness

What about you?

• Where do you do most of your grocery shopping? Trader Joe’s? Whole Foods? Or a local grocery store?
• Do you get the same few items each week and find new ways to enjoy them or do you like to try new things every week?
• What is your favorite dressing flavor?