This spicy cilantro mango wild rice salad is filled with cabbage, jicama and pickled jalapeños and tossed in a bright cilantro mango dressing.

Ok, let’s get one thing out of the way because it’s literally staring at me in the face and making me feel the need to explain myself.

See those poppy seeds on this salad? They’re supposed to be black sesame seeds.

But apparently, I was in la-la land when I reached in the pantry and didn’t realize it until those suckers were already stuck on there, far too late.

So if you’re thinking why the hell did this weirdo put poppy seeds on a salad that clearly has no poppy-seedness (yeah, that’s a word) to it, I’m a space cadet, that’s why.

Onward.

With summer right around the corner, I’m officially declaring it salad season.

No lame bowls of greens, tomatoes and sliced onions though, I’m talking fruit filled, veggie packed, brightly dressed salads that you can make a meal of.

Isn’t it funny how this would probably be the last thing on earth you’d want to eat in the dead of winter and yet the second the weather turns warm, you just crave it?

Or maybe it’s just the lingering thought that at any point in time you could be sporting a bikini poolside and your mind subconsciously thinks SALAD instead of MAC ‘N CHEESE!

Ok, sometimes mine still thinks MAC ‘N CHEESE, I just try and tell it to shut up.

I’ll be working with Nakano this year to bring you guys some healthy and flavorful recipe ideas using their rice vinegars and we’re kicking things off today with the mango-seasoned rice vinegar in this salad.

I adore vinegar. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this before but I would drink the balsamic dressing (we were a boring house and salad dressing never came from a bottle, just evoo + balsamic, always.) out of the bottom of the salad bowl as a kid.

Balsamic is lip puckering tart, so when I tasted this mango rice vinegar, which is a bit sweeter (because, well duh, it tastes like mango) I seriously thought I could pour myself a glass and happily sip it.

Not even kidding.

But, that might be a weird recipe:
Ingredients: mango rice vinegar
Directions: pour in glass and sip

So instead, I paired it with some bright fresh cilantro for a summery dressing poured over cabbage, jicama, mango and wild rice.

Jicama is a totally underused vegetable, let’s change that this summer.

It deserves to shine outside of the pre-packaged vegetable trays at the supermarket. If you agree, try this jicama salad with mango, red pepper, cucumber and a delicious honey lime dressing. It doesn’t disappoint.

And mango, well mango is just the best summer fruit there is if you ask me, mostly because it involves standing over the sink sucking every possible bit of flesh off the pit like a savage after slicing it.

You know you do it.

Between the mango pieces, the mango rice vinegar and the fresh cilantro, this salad is filled with flavor while still being healthy for you. It’s similar to this mango quinoa spinach salad except with rice and more crunch. Both are excellent and guaranteed to win over any mango lover.

Bring on summer and bring on that bikini.

Ok, maybe a few more salads before the bikini…

This post is sponsored by Nakano as part of my ongoing brand ambassadorship with them. All opinions, content and photography are my own.