Food52
This recipe is brought to you by: Cinco de Mayo party leftovers! I love, love, love cooking Mexican food so I always use Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to not only drink enthusiastic amounts of margaritas with freshly-squeezed lime juice but also to dive into a new Rick Bayless recipe (this year it was his sublime Simple Red Mole Enchiladas from one of my very favorite cookbooks, "Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen"). The other inspiration came from the sudden abundance of Haitian mangoes appearing at my nearest Whole Foods (and probably yours, too!). These mangoes are sweet and deliciously floral and are also Whole Trade certified. This recipe would work with just about any mango you can get your hands on - just make sure to buy one that's medium-ripe and one that's very ripe (one for dicing and one for blending). Although this salad is by no means authentic, it makes excellent use of the fresh, vibrant flavors of Mexican cuisine. The sweet, mellow crunch of jicama lends a wonderful contrast to the soft, juicy mangoes and the ancho-infused quinoa and beans add a gentle, fragrant spice to the dish. The dressing is a luscious, thick concoction of ancho chiles and mangoes with lots of vibrant, bright-tasting cilantro and tangy lime juice. If you are like me and you like to dress your salads lightly, you can use the leftover dressing to marinate pork or fish, or you can add some chopped onions, jalapeno and diced mango to make a tasty salsa!