Tuesday, September 19, 2006

cucumber, mango, and black bean salad

We planted cucumbers for the first time this year, and they turned out to be really delicious. I've had cukes from home gardens before that tasted bitter, which is probably why we haven't planted them till now. I'm a definite cuke fan, though, and we tried planting just two vines of them. As a result, we've gotten only a few cukes, which is a darn shame, because these babies are crisp and juicy with just a hint of sweetness. Next year, we will definitely plant more of this cultivar! (If you want to know what kind they are, leave a comment and I'll rummage around in our seed drawer for you.)

I found this recipe on the Cooking Light website. The flavors and textures are wonderful. I used a little less cilantro and jalepeño than the recipe calls for, and for us, it was perfect. Next time, I'm thinking of adding some good black olives to it.

It's been a while since I've submitted anything to Sweetnicks' ARF 5-a-day event; this recipe is a clear candidate, with its variety of fruits and veggies. Be-bop on over to her site tonight to get a recap of all the other great anti-oxidant rich recipes.

1 cup chopped seeded cucumber
1/2 cup chopped mango
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring gently. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 39(3% from fat); FAT 0.1g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 1.6g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 18mg; SODIUM 422mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 0.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 9.7g

2 comments:

Someone said...

Black beans and fruit...wow. Well, I suppose they go well with tomatoes, which are in the fruit camp. Very interesting recipe. And it looks cool, too.

JB said...

This looks wonderful, I may have to make it for an event I'm going to tomorrow.