As a budding vegetarian, as most budding vegetarians do, I started out making salads. It was simple, fast, nutritious, and didn’t require cooking. The only drawback is that salads are light. And as an athlete now, light meals can be bothersome to eat a dozen of in a day.
I’ve been learning to find ways to make my salads heavier. Throwing in tempeh, nuts, sweet potato, grains like barley and, in this recipe, quinoa, are all fun and tasty ways to add bulk.
One of my favourite fruits to add to salads is mango. Tasting mango in a salad for the first time in 2007, with avocado, shrimp and a squeeze of lemon juice, was a game changer for me. It was refreshing, it was fun, and it made me realize how fruits don’t need to be saved just for desserts.
It was this memory that inspired this eclectic, colourful plant-based salad. Great to bring to parties!
This recipe is one of six developed in collaboration with Malaysian health food brand Spoon Health.
Quinoa Mango Salad
A wholesome summery salad with the goodness of quinoa and fruity bursts of mango with a fresh, citrus dressing.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups lettuce or mixed leaves, chopped finely
- 1 mango
- 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp almond flakes, lightly toasted
- Juice of half an orange
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- 2 tbsp virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp chia seed
Directions
- Step 1 Add chia seed to orange juice and leave aside for 10 minutes.
- Step 2 Halve the avocado, remove pit and scoop out flesh with a spoon. Cut the flesh into thin slices.
- Step 3 Remove the skin and seed from mango and cut flesh into cubes.
- Step 4 In a salad bowl, put the lettuce, followed by the avocado, mango, quinoa and pomegranate seeds.
- Step 5 Add agave nectar and olive oil to juice and chia, and shake or stir into an emulsion.
- Step 6 Pour dressing over salad, followed by almond flakes.
- Step 7 Serve immediately and toss salad before eating.
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