Spicy Black Bean Salad with Mango

This black bean salad gets a spicy kick from Chipotle-lime vinaigrette that is complimented by the sweetness of fresh mango. And this delicious salad is easy to make and ready to serve in just 15 minutes.

Refreshingly Sweet with Smoky Heat

This Spicy Black Bean Salad with Mangos is so easy to throw together and makes a delicious side dish to anything grilled. Furthermore, this sweet smoky salad is the perfect pairing for barbecue chicken and meat. I really enjoy this dish as the refreshing sweetness of mango, offsets the spicy heat of chipotle.

The sweet flavors from both the mangos and caramelized onion reminds me of summer days and barbecues.

For a quick meal and easy meal, consider Spicy Black Bean Salad with Mangos

This salad comes together quickly and easily for those evenings when you are in a rush. Furthermore, it can be made ahead and served up with these Easy Baked Chicken Cutlets for a quick meal in a snap!

Mangos or Peaches

It’s that time of year when Ataulfo mangos are plentiful and sweet.  This is my favorite variety of mango as it has a creamy sweet texture with citrus notes, and is less fibrous than other mangos.  Ataulfo mangos are also often referred to as a Champagne Mangos or Honey Mangos.  My daughter is not a big fan of mangos but likes the Ataulfo and refers to it as the “gateway mango”. But really any variety of mango will work great in this recipe.

However if mangos are not one of your favorites, peaches make the perfect substitute. In fact, as we are getting towards the end of the season for Ataulfo mangos, I often make this dish with peaches. Simply cut the peach in half and remove the pit. Peel away the skin and chop in bite-sized pieces. And don’t forget to add any of the collected juices to your vinaigrette for added flavor. Yum, this is making me hungry!

How to Pick a Mango

Ripe mangos are soft and yield to pressure.  The flesh should just give a little when squeezed, but it should not feel mushy.  Champagne mangos turn a deep golden yellow once ripe.  In addition, the skin will begin to wrinkle a little, once it has reached its peak of ripeness.  I look for mangos that have a sweet fragrant smell and a small amount of sap stained around the stem end and. 

Cutting a Mango

There are many tutorials online on how to properly remove the fruit from a mango. However, since I cut mangoes daily for breakfast, I thought it easiest to show you some of my tips on How to Cut a Mango. I offer two options for cutting a mango, cubed or slices. Either of them can be used to help create a number of dishes using fresh mango. For this recipe, I use cubed mango. To help guide you, I’ve outlined my cutting technique for you here. However, I highly recommend the following link: How to Cut a Mango as there are a number of pictures to help guide you through the cutting process.

1. Begin by holding the mango standing on end with stem sitting on the cutting board.
2. Slice the mango away from the pit by cutting from the tip of the mango down towards the stem. The first cut will be about 1/2 inch away from the center of the mango.
3. Turn the mango and repeat in the same manner as above, making the second cut on the opposite side of the pit.
4. Basically, the mango is cut away in two pieces leaving the pit in the center.
5. With the tip of a pairing knife, make equally spaced cuts across the width of the mango half. Taking care not to cut through the skin.
6. Turn the mango and in the same manner, make equally spaced cuts across the length of the mango.
7. Using the knife tip, cut along the edge of the mango, where the flesh meets the skin. Think of this step much like tracing the edge with the knife tip.
8. Gently invert the flesh towards you, so that the flesh is popping outwards. This can easily be done by gently pressing your finger into the center of the skin side and push in. Now the mango cubes will easily cut away from the skin.

The Onion

I love the flavor of grilled red onions.  They become so sweet and caramelized when grilled on the barbecue.  However, you can also achieve this same sweetness by roasting them in the oven.  I will usually grill a few onions at a time and store them in a container in the fridge.  They can be tossed into so many dishes and they add a sweet complex flavor.  Try tossing them into salads, sandwiches, pizza and soups.  However, if you like you can omit them.

The Chipotle

Don’t over look the subtle smoky flavor of the Chipotle Pepper en Adobo Sauce. These flavor packed heat seeking peppers add so much flavor and with so little. They come in small cans. However, because so little is needed there is a fair amount left-over for other uses. Check out my kitchen Tips and Tricks for saving and Storing Leftover Chipotle. Storing these peppers and their sauce in the freezer makes it easier for me to add a smoky pop of flavor to my favorite recipes.

A 1/2 Cup serving is 1 WW Smart Point or 117 calories.

Buon Appetito!

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