Mango Black Beans Wild Rice Salad

mango, avocado, colorful veggies, black beans and wild rice salad

Mango, Black Beans and Wild Rice Salad

We eat a lot of salads.  

There really is no better way to get all that dietary fiber to feed those gut bugs, good fat, vitamins, minerals and all things good for you in a satisfying meal.  

And since mangos are in season right now – we must eat them!  Why not make a mango, black beans and wild rice salad?

So I’ve been on a lentil and long grain and wild rice kick lately after realizing how good they actually are for us.  They really up the amount of dietary fiber we are taking in.  

And I’ve seen a huge improvement in my digestion, too.  #feedthegutbugs

Prep Ahead

There are several things that I cook up in batches then freeze.  That way I can pull them out to use in a salad.  In bulk

  • cook up a huge batch of black beans with green or brown lentils and store them in 1-cup jars in the freezer
  • cook up a huge batch of long grain and wild rice and store it in small containers in the freezer

That way all you have to do is thaw and microwave them to add tons of dietary fiber to this mango, black beans and wild rice salad. 

mango, black beans and wild rice salad

What You Need To Make This Healthy Salad

Usually we add a protein like chicken, pork or steak to our salads, but this one is a meatless salad.  

We get a complete set of amino acids from the long grain and wild rice combined with the black beans and lentils.  That starts off as the base of this salad.

mango, black beans and wild rice salad

We really try to add as much color to the salad as possible with various textures in our fruits and veggies. #eattherainbow    

  • lettuce
  • rainbow carrots
  • green onions
  • avocado
  • sweet mini peppers
  • cherry tomatoes
  • sunflower seeds and pepitas
  • mango

Do you know how good sunflower seeds and pepitas are for you?  

Sunflower seeds have been associated  with reduced inflammation as well as being a great source of good fat and dietary fiber.  

Pumpkin seeds are high in the antioxidant carotenoid and have actually been associated with prevention of prostate cancer in men.  

So they always go on our salads.  Plus they add a nice bit of texture.

mango, black beans and wild rice salad

Taco Seasoned Yogurt Dressing

Well the other thing that is bringing me so much joy is using goat’s milk yogurt to make salad dressings.  

This way we are also adding a probiotic to our meal as well as the prebiotic dietary fiber.  I talk more about the difference in this post.  

Plus it just tastes so good.  

We’ve previously made a ranch dressing, but this time we are adding taco seasoning to the yogurt.  What?

It’s so yummy.  I usually add about 1 tbsp seasoning to 3/4 cup yogurt and add a little salt and pepper.  This time I added a heaping spoon of Simply Organic taco seasoning to the yogurt to make the dressing.  Then we assemble the salad from there.  Yum! Yum!  

mango, black beans and wild rice salad

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Mango, Black Beans and Wild Rice Salad | Gluten-Free

There really is no better way to get all that dietary fiber to feed those gut bugs, good fat, vitamins, minerals and all things good for you in a satisfying meal.  

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword Mango, Black Beans and Wild Rice Salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2
Author Deana Larkin Evans

Ingredients

  • lettuce
  • 1 mango
  • 1 avocado
  • 2 rainbow carrots
  • 2 green onion
  • 4-5 sweet mini bell peppers
  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup cooked wild rice
  • 3/4 cup goat’s milk yogurt
  • 1-2 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1 tbsp pepitas

Instructions

  1. Make the dressing by mixing the taco seasoning with the yogurt.  Adjust to the level of spice you like.  Salt to taste.

  2. Wash and prep all the vegetables.  Slicing, peeling, etc.

  3. Add lettuce to a bowl then add the cooked rice and black beans.  Then add the taco seasoning dressing.  Then layer with all the fruit and veggies.  Sprinkle with the sunflower seeds and pepitas.

Recipe Notes

We try to buy organic when possible, including the spices.

Deana Larkin Evans

You get one life - do your best to ENJOY IT! So hi, I'm Deana. This food blog is all about cooking wholesome real food and developing gluten-free recipes for some of our favorite comfort foods. I had to start eating gluten-free in 2010, then cut dairy and casein (except for the occasional Parmesan) in 2014. We learned A2 casein (goat, sheep and buffalo milk) is easier to digest than the predominate A1 form in cow milk. So we brought back goat milk dairy into our recipes in 2016. Thank goodness, right! So I'm kind of a science nerd, too. In the '90s, I earned an undergrad degree in biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin. Hook 'em! Then followed up with a PhD in biochemistry and a law degree from the University of Houston. I recently earned a certificate in genomics/sequence analysis from Johns Hopkins University, where I also took a very cool food microbiology course. Currently, I'm learning about the microbiome and gut health. And trying to come up with healthy recipes to feed those gut bugs! #feedthegutbugs

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