Creamy and Crunchy Mango and Pomegranate Salad (plant-based)
Juicy pomegranate seeds, sweet mangos, crunchy green coral lettuce and creamy avocado… the freshness is real. This mango and pomegranate salad is a true hit. Even my grandmother who eats mostly standard Norwegian/German food went back for seconds and thirds (and I believe fourths) the last time I served this at a family dinner.
This mango and pomegranate salad works perfect as both a side dish and as a meal in itself. Serve the salad in a large bowl or plate it up as delicious small servings.
Make the colors pop!
Combining vegetables with delicious, juicy and exotic fruits is probably the easiest way I know to whip together a healthy and tasty meal. There are a number of salad recipes that do just that – including those I make most of the time. What makes this one particularly good though, is that the salad ingredients give the perfect combination of different textures. It`s also fun to serve really colorful plates.
In a large salad bowl, or on plates, layer the salad ingredients in this order: lettuce, cucumber, avocado, mango, pomegranate seeds, and then spring onion. This order really makes the colors pop. Then, sprinkle some walnuts over your salad. Pour some creamy balsamico and dash some of the homemade dressing on your salad. If you have extra dressing you can serve this in a small bowl on the side.
If you have leftover salad store it in an airtight container and enjoy it again the next day.
I hope you feel inspired to make this salad the next time you are craving something healthy and crunchy. If you make it I would love to hear from you, please write a comment to let me know what you thought of it. If you snap a picture, tag me on instagram @by.linaelisabeth – I look forward to seeing how it turns out!
Creamy and Crunchy Mango and Pomegranate Salad
Ingredients
Salad Dressing
- 50 g cashew nuts soaked in water for 1-2 hours
- 25 ml olive oil
- 1/4 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/8 lemon (juice)
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence
- 25 ml water
- a pinch of salt
Salad
- 1 pomegranate (seeds)
- 200 g green coral lettuce
- 1 spring onion
- 1/2 mango
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cucumber
Garnishing
- 1 handful walnuts
- creamy balsamico
- the dressing you have made
Instructions
Salad Dressing
- Start by making the salad dressing. Note that this is not a liquid dressing that you easily pour over the salad – quite the opposite, the dressing is rather thick and creamy. If you think it is too thick however, feel free to add a little water to get the consistency you want.
- Soak the cashew nuts in room temperature water for 1-2 hours (depending on how much time you have), make sure all cashews are covered with water while soaking. Then drain (remove water).
- Mix all dressing ingredients, except from the olive oil, in your nutriblender/mixer until creamy and smooth. Do it this way, as mixing olive oil at high speed can make it grow bitter.
- Stir in the olive oil.
Salad
- Once the salad dressing is done it is time to prepare the salad itself.
- De-seed the pomegranate. To avoid a splash of rosy colored fruit juice all on your kitchen walls you can de-seed the pomegranate in a bowl of water.
- As you chop the fruit and vegetables keep them in separate bowls/boxes until you are ready to put your salad together. Roughly chop the green coral lettuce and finely chop the spring onions. Cut the ripe mango and avocado into cubes (about 2×2 cm). And cut the cucumber into smaller cubes (about 2×2 cm).if you can`t find coral lettuce at your local market, good substitutes are other green salad types like iceberg- or romaine lettuce. I simply prefer using green coral lettuce because of it`s crispy texture.
- In a large salad bowl, or on plates, layer the salad ingredients in this order: lettuce, cucumber, avocado, mango, pomegranate seeds, and then spring onion. This order really makes the colors pop.
Garnishing
- Sprinkle some walnuts over your salad. Pour some creamy balsamico and dash some of the homemade dressing on your salad. If you have extra dressing you can serve this in a small bowl on the side.
