vegan eating: mango & black bean salad

credit to kalynskitchen.com

When I finally came out as vegetarian, nobody seemed very surprised. I am pretty sure my parents have always known I was a closetcase and referenced the family dinners out at restaurants, when I only ordered a salad or the vegetarian option, when I asked what had given me away.

My entire family was fantastic about it. My dad explored vegetarian alternatives to the dishes he made often, my mother spent long nights typing ‘vegetarian’ into the Google search bar, and my sister went into full-vegetarian support mode. And my friends, some were vegetarians themselves or supporters of the lifestyle, were ready to offer any advice to a fledgling-vegetable, like me. 

I was covered on all bases. And, over the last six years, my love of fresh, delicious and, sometimes, new salads has only grown. So, of course, it only made sense I would begin checking into salads which were suited to vegan living. Remember how vegans are very strict about what they put into their bodies, well, unfortunately for me, a lot of my old favourites would need to be scrapped or altered.

I’m still coping with the loss of vegetarian caesar salad, the blow hurts but it does leave a gaping hole in my arsenal for something new and different. So, this week, I have decided to share with you something I have only recently tried and LOVED.

Black Bean and Mango Salad 

1 standard sized can of black beans, strained and rinsed
2 1/2 cups of freshly diced mango
1 cup of  freshly diced green pepper
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 seed jalapeno pepper, minced (to taste, of course)
Salt to taste

Obviously, making a salad is incredibly simple and requires you to find a good bowl and combine all the above ingredients into a bowl and serve. It’s not rocket science, it’s salad and should always be the easiest part of your meal.

I recommend serving this salad on a plate of vegan tortilla chips or on the side of a rice dish, but it can be equally filling by itself. And, like E always says, what you do not finish the night you serve it can be easily packed for lunch the next day.

Do you have any delicious salad recipes you want to share with me? Are you vegan and willing to share any tips with me? Do you hate salad, do you feel you need to share that with me? Please, feel free to write to me at thetwentiesproject@gmail.com and tell me all your stories, send your pictures and just say ‘hello’