Kale Mango Salad

Mango, kale and quinoa tossed in a simple cilantro lime vinaigrette make this kale mango salad light, refreshing and most important - tasty.

You can never go wrong with a salad for lunch - from kale caesar salad to buffalo chicken quinoa salad. But this kale salad loaded with mangoes might be my favorite.

I know eating healthy comes natural to some people, but I'm one that has to work at it. Unfortunately a lot of my favorites foods aren't the best for me - pizza, macaroni and cheese, burgers...

While I'm never going to cut out what I truly love, I try my best to offset those indulgent dinners with healthy and easy meals.

Lauren and I had just come off a weekend where we ate out a couple of times and went to a BBQ on Sunday. The food was great but definitely wasn't what you'd call great for you!

Whenever we go a couple of days of not eating the best, we try to offset that by having super healthy lunch and dinners for the next week.

So Sunday night I started looking for some ideas and of course went to my favorite blog, Half Baked Harvest. A couple of weeks prior, she had just posted a salad that caught my eye, so I thought I'd give it a try with my own version of a kale mango salad.

I realize I'm probably not giving this salad enough due as it is actually quite tasty and I could have for lunch every day. Kale is the new "in" healthy food and I've definitely caught the bug as well.

Personally, I like salads with some flavor and texture, which usually means romaine lettuce is not in the cards for me. It took some time to get Lauren on board with kale but now it's her favorite.

As Lauren and I both love southwestern flavors, this really is the perfect salad for us. It's really the cilantro lime vinaigrette however that takes this kale mango salad over the top!

What I love about this salad is you can make everything ahead of time and put each individual ingredient in a separate container in the fridge. Then before leaving for work, just toss together everything together and you're good to go.

Unlike something like spinach, kale can sit in the dressing for a while without wilting so you don't need to worry about putting dressing on ahead of time. So go make this kale mango salad.

Jump to:

• Recipe Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• Do I Need to Massage the Kale?
• Benefits of Kale
• Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
• Other Salad Recipes
• Kale Mango Salad

Recipe Ingredients

• Cilantro - the base for the vinaigrette.
• Limes - brightens up the vinaigrette.
• Olive oil - helps emulsify everything.
• White vinegar - adds some acidity.
• Honey - gives a slight sweetness.
• Salt - enhances the flavor.
• Kale, bell peppers, corn, mangos, jalapeño, avocados - you can use any combination of vegetables you like.
• Quinoa - can replace with farro or barley.
• Black beans - adds protein.
• Tortilla chips - gives some crunch.
• Feta cheese - can also use cojita cheese.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. First make the cilantro lime vinaigrette. Place all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth and emulsified.
2. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Chop bell peppers, mangos and jalapeño.
3. Cut corn off the cob and cook in skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until charred.
4. Massage kale with fingers and some olive oil to soften it. Add the cooled quinoa, bell peppers, mangos, jalapeño, black beans and corn to salad. Add just enough vinaigrette to cost salad. Top with avocado, tortilla chips, feta cheese and sunflower seeds.

Do I Need to Massage the Kale?

No although it does help. Messaging kale is best if you’re eating it immediately. By massaging it with a drizzle of olive oil, you make it softer, less course and less bitter.

But remember how I mentioned above that you can/should dress the salad in the morning. By dressing the salad and letting it sit for a few hours, you will soften the kale and remove the bitterness.

Benefits of Kale

Kale has become super popular and there is good reason for it. Some of the health benefits of kale include

• Among most nutrient-dense foods on planet.
• Great source of Vitamin C and Vitamin K.
• Can lower cholesterol.
• Loaded with antioxidants to help battle disease and illness.
• Good source of minerals most people don't eat enough of.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• Take the time to make the cilantro lime vinaigrette. The taste is worth it.
• Use fresh kale and chop yourself so you can easily remove the stems. Don’t buy the pre-packaged chopped kale unless that’s your only option.
• It is mentioned before, but massage the kale with some olive oil to make it less course and bitter.
• Be consistent with the size you dice the mango.
• If using for leftovers or a make-ahead lunch, keep the kale separate from all the other ingredients and toss to combine in the morning or right before serving.

Other Salad Recipes

• Fall Harvest Salad
• Summer Quinoa Salad
• Kale Sweet Potato Salad
• Veggie Grain Bowl
• Edamame, Chickpea and Apple Salad

If you’ve tried this kale mango salad or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.