Tasty Tuesday: Evans' Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad

My sister Kelli is pretty amazing in the kitchen and loves trying new recipes each week. Many of you might remember her famous pizza sauce that I just made the other night since it's so quick and easy to make.

Today Kelli is sharing a Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad that's perfect for summer. Who doesn't love a summer salad right?!  Long days full of tireless fun always lends itself nicely to a refreshing guilt-free eat-your-heart-out kind of meal. This one, adopted from Food Network, will do just the trick.  

One of the things I love about this salad is that you can eat it right away, put it in the fridge for a while, or pack it for a picnic in the park!

Here's what you'll need:

Mango-Cucumber Rice Salad

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups rice blend
1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup chopped mango
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 red jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped salted roasted peanuts

Kelli's Tips: 
I have a confession to make...  I've made this salad probably a dozen times and have never added the quinoa.  I find that the salad just doesn't need the extra flavor but if you're looking for an added protein boost or are a strict recipe follower then knock your heart out.  

Also, I love spicy food so I go for adding the whole jalapeno but if you like milder food feel free to only add half of the jalapeno.  

Directions:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring until tender, 25 to 35 minutes (depending on the rice blend).

Meanwhile, bring a separate saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook until tender, about 12 minutes.

Drain the grains and rinse under cold water until cool; shake off the excess water.

Whisk the lime juice and zest, the peanut oil, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Add the rice mixture, mango, cucumber, jalapeno, scallions, cilantro and peanuts and stir to combine. Season with salt.

The best thing about this salad is you can bring it to a summer cookout and never have to worry about it spoiling in the summer sun because there is no mayo or cheese.  I promise, this salad will be your next knock-out party pleaser.

xoxo

PS