Mango Salad Recipe with Hearts of Palm, Radishes, Lime, and Cilantro

I've always been a bit cookbook-challenged, which means I rarely make a recipe the way the cookbook author writes it. I do use cookbooks endlessly though to get ideas for flavor combinations. This recipe combined ingredients paired with mangos in two of my favorite cookbooks, with a few of my own food preferences thrown in. I was completely taken with the combination of flavors (and once again I ate all the salad in the photo before I even looked at the photos - very bad food blogger!) It does have strong flavors, but if you like all the ingredients, definitely give this one a try.

This salad has a lot to choose from for Weekend Herb Blogging, where you can write about any herb, plant, vegetable, or flower, but I'm going to feature hearts of palm, an ingredient I learned to love in college, when I worked in a French restaurant. They actually are the hearts of palm trees, and for years this ingredient was controversial because it could only be obtained by killing the tree. In recent years growers have managed to produce a variety known as peach palms which produce shoots which can be harvested while the main tree keeps producing. Harvesting is labor intensive though, so this is still an expensive product. Hearts of palm are great for dieters, since they're low in fat, low in calories, low in carbs, high in fiber, and contain no cholesterol. They're also delicious, with a slightly crunchy texture and a mild but pleasantly nutty flavor. I've only had canned or bottled hearts of palm, but I'm imagining the fresh ones are even more wonderful. Anh from Food Lover's Journey is hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week, and I know she's a fan of this type of salad with assorted ingredients.


Mango Salad with Hearts of Palm, Radishes, Lime, and Cilantro
(Makes about 4 servings, recipe adapted from papaya salad recipes from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast and Simply Delicioso. Mangos used to test this recipe were provided by the National Mango Board.)

Ingredients:
1 mango
1 can hearts of palm (I used a 14 oz. can)
6-8 large radishes and cut in half-moon slices
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional but recommended)
2 T olive oil

Instructions:

Peel mango and cut into pieces about 3/4 inch square. (There are good instructions for How to Cut a Mango at Simply Recipes if you haven't done it.) Drain hearts of palm, then cut hearts of palm and radishes in half lengthwise and cut into thick half-moon slices. Slice green onions, and wash, dry, and chop cilantro.

Combine mango, hearts of palm slices, radish slices, and green onions in plastic bowl. Combine lime juice, Dijon mustard, and Spike Seasoning (if using), then whisk in olive oil to make a thin emulsion. Stir dressing into combined salad ingredients (you may not need all the dressing.) Add chopped cilantro and gently fold into salad. Serve immediately.

Printer Friendly Recipe

South Beach Diet and Low-Glycemic Suggestions:

The mango in this salad would make it phase two or three for the South Beach Diet, but all other ingredients here are very low on the glycemic index, making this a good choice for most any low-glycemic eating plan. I think this would be great served with something like Grilled Fusion Chicken or Grilled Salmon with Asian Dipping Sauce.

More Delicious Ways to Use Hearts of Palm:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly, check ingredients.)
Hearts of Palm Salad from the Silver Spoon
Tomatoes, Hearts of Palm, Olives, and Feta with Basil Vinaigrette
Green Bean Salad with Hearts of Palm, Olives, Red Pepper, and Feta
Arugula Salad with Hearts of Palm, Kalamata Olives, and Gorgonzola
Rice with Palm Hearts from Morsels and Musings
Heart of Palm Risotto from Technicolor Kitchen
Italian Tuna and Pasta Salad with Hearts of Palm from La Mia Cusina
Hearts of Palm Salad with Artichoke Hearts and Vegan Ceviche from Where's the Revolution
Heart of Palm Parmesan Salad from Tico Food
Heart of Palm Amuse Bouche from The Skinny Gourmet

Want even more recipes?
I find these recipes from other blogs using Food Blog Search.