Category Archives: Salad

Stacked Caprese Salad

Stacked Caprese Salad

Here in Southern Oregon when the weather is hot outside, I try not to turn on my stove too much or even use my oven.  I don’t like living in a hot house nor do I like writing unnecessarily large checks to the power company.  During the warm summer months I like to cook our meals back out on the barbecue and serve fresh cool salads on the side.

This morning as I was checking out my garden, I noticed that I had quite the crop of heirloom tomatoes.  One of the first things that comes to mind when I have a bunch of tomatoes is making a simple Caprese salad.  I just love the flavor of fresh picked tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and herbaceous basil.  I like to drizzle the Caprese salad with olive oil and finish it with fresh cracked pepper and coarse salt.  It’s simply delicious.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 8 heirloom tomatoes (about the same size as the bocconcini)
  • 4 – 5 balls of fresh mozzarella (bocconcini)
  • fresh basil
  • pepper
  • salt
  • olive oil for drizzling

Begin by slicing your tomatoes and the bocconcini.  Stack the tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with fresh cracked pepper and salt.  Garnish with additional basil and maybe a fresh edible nasturtium flower.  Serve.  Makes 8 little salads.

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Oregon Bay Shrimp Cocktail

Oregon Bay Shrimp Cocktail

Late last week, my family and I took a much needed vacation to the Southern Oregon Coast.  Bruce booked us a hotel room that overlooked the Pacific Ocean in nearby Brookings, Oregon.  Our room had a fabulous ocean view and was only about a hundred yards from the beach.  You could hear the waves crashing along the shore at all hours.  It was so relaxing…

On the first morning (obviously, I was still on my work schedule), I woke up a few hours before my family, grabbed my camera, and headed out for a brisk morning walk along the beach.  It was fairly early and only a few people were out and about.

I walked past the harbor full of boats and down towards the south jetty.  I wanted to see the Chetco River and to catch a glimpse of boats leaving the harbor and heading out to sea to catch dungeness crab, ling cod and tuna.

The view east up the Chetco River.  The harbor is on the right and the Chetco Bridge is in the background.  Once I made it to the south jetty, I decided to walk back down the beach towards our hotel.  The weather was cool and calm.  Fortunately for me it was just overcast and not raining.

Nobody on the beach but me… Before heading back to my hotel room I decided to stop by some large rocks hoping to find some tidal pools.  I found a few.  It was near low tide and I was able to see all kinds of aquatic life.  Mussels, starfish, anemones, and lots of birds such as gulls and pelicans.

I slipped my macro lens on my camera to take photos of some of the creatures that I happened to see clinging to the rocks.  These gorgeous mollusks are blue mussels.  You can find them all over the rocks at low tide.

Gooseneck Barnacles waiting for the tide to come back in…

Seaweed growing on rocks at low tide.  Do you see the little snails and barnacles?

Note to self…  When photographing aquatic life be sure to watch waves closely.  Dingy me, I did not pay attention and ended up with soaked sneakers and jeans.  Wet shoes makes for a long miserable walk back to the hotel.  Next time, I will be a bit wiser and wear sandals.

My Oregon Bay Shrimp Cocktail was inspired by a shrimp cocktail appetizer that I ordered at a local seafood restaurant down in the harbor.  It’s made with fresh Oregon bay shrimp nestled in fresh picked lettuce leaves, drizzled with homemade cocktail sauce and garnished with fresh lemon wedges.  It’s an easy and delicious appetizer.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Oregon Bay Shrimp Cocktail

  • 4 cups bay shrimp (cleaned and chilled)
  • 4 lettuce leaves
  • 1/2 cup Easy Cocktail Sauce (see recipe below)
  • 4 lemon wedges
  • 4 parsley sprigs

Arrange leaves on a plate, small bowl or in short stemmed dessert glass.  Add shrimp and top with cocktail sauce.  Garnish with lemon wedge and parsley sprig.  Makes 4 appetizers.

Easy Cocktail Sauce

  • 1 cup tomato ketchup
  • 1 Tbs grated horseradish
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • dash hot pepper sauce (I like Frank’s)
  • dash Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.  Put in covered container and refrigerate up to 3 days.  Makes a little more than a cup.  Use on shrimp or crab cocktails, fish, fried oysters, shrimp or clams.  It’s delicious!

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Bacon Chipotle Potato Salad

Bacon Chipotle Potato Salad

Bruce and I threw a backyard barbecue with family and friends on Saturday afternoon.  While playing ladder golf, darts, laughing, joking and most likely making our neighbors seriously annoyed, I spent a bit of time tending to the barbecue.  I barbecued my apricot pork ribs while others pitched in with sides of fresh picked white corn, baked beans, watermelon, cherries,  green salad, and cornbread.  In addition to the apricot pork ribs, I made a batch of my Bacon Chipotle Potato Salad.  My Bacon Chipotle Potato Salad is a tasty twist on the classic American potato salad.   My Bacon Chipotle Potato Salad has a wonderful smokey bacon flavor and then kicked up in flavor with fiery chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  It’s not your average potato salad.  It’s just simply delicious!  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 5 pounds potatoes (boiled, cooled, peeled and coarsely chopped)
  • 8 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup minced sweet onion
  • 6 Tbs apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbs chipotle pepper in adobo (minced)
  • 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp smoked salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • garnish with fresh snipped chives and pinches of paprika

Add potatoes, bacon, celery and onions to an extra large mixing bowl.  Lightly toss.  In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, mayonnaise, chipotle pepper, Dijon mustard, smoked salt, black pepper and smoked paprika.  If you have any bacon grease leftover from the bacon, add about a tablespoon of it to the potatoes.  Trust me…  It adds a ton of flavor!  Add the mayo mixture to potatoes.  Lightly mix.  Garnish with fresh snipped chives and pinches of paprika.  Makes a big bowl or about 12-15 servings.  Enjoy!

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Orzo Asparagus Salad

Orzo Asparagus Salad

It’s not too often that when I walk through the produce section of my favorite food co-op and then all of a sudden stop dead in my tracks…  What caught my eye were these gorgeous stems of locally grown organic purple asparagus.  I’ve never seen or even heard of purple asparagus before.  I’ve prepared green and white asparagus dozens of times but never the purple variety.  What a treat!  I snagged a big huge handful and put them it in my basket.

I gotta tell you that purple asparagus is not completely purple…  When you slice it, it has a light greenish white center and the outside of the stems turn purple to greenish purple as you cook them.  Purple asparagus is as tender and tastes the same as green asparagus.  With my new found prize, I decided to make an Orzo Asparagus Salad as a side dish with our grilled salmon for dinner this evening.  If I happened to have any leftovers, I will pack it in my lunch tomorrow.

After preparing my Orzo Asparagus Salad and as I was waiting for Bruce to come home from work, I thought I’d head outdoors with my camera to capture a few shots of late spring flowers and plants…

A variety of “double” columbine.  Notice the two layers of petals?

A “single” petaled columbine.  It’s just simply beautiful!  It’s one of my favorite perennial flowers.

Now back to what’s going on in my kitchen… My Orzo Asparagus Salad is a brightly colored spring dish that is easy to make and tastes wonderful.  It’s made with orzo pasta, locally grown purple asparagus, chopped red onion, crisp red bell pepper, Roma tomato, hand picked herbs from my garden such as oregano, basil and parsley, kalamata olives, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil and then topped with crumbled feta cheese.  Makes about 4 – 6 servings.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup orzo pasta (cook to manufacturer’s direction)
  • 1 1/2 cup chopped asparagus (I used purple but, you can use what you like)
  • 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped and seeded Roma tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 Tbs fresh chopped basil
  • 2 Tbs fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 Tbs fresh chopped oregano
  • 2 Tbs white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup feta cheese

Begin by cooking the orzo pasta according to manufacturer’s direction (or 7 minutes in salted boiling water).  Drain, rinse with cold water, drain well and set aside.  Meanwhile, bring another salted pot of water to a boil.  Add asparagus and cook for about two to three minutes.  Drain and set aside.  In a medium sized mixing bowl add cooked orzo, cooked asparagus, bell pepper, tomato, kalamata olives, onion, basil, parsley and oregano.  Lightly toss.  In a small bowl whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Add to salad and toss to coat.  Refrigerate until well chilled. Put in a serving dish and top with feta cheese.

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Sesame Broccoli Snap Pea Salad

Sesame Broccoli Snap Pea Salad

When I got home from work this evening, I stopped at my little garden on the side of our home to see what I could gather for our dinner tonight.  I was surprised to see that my broccoli was ready to pick and that I had a bunch of sugar snap peas on the vines.  The cool wet weather we have had lately here in Southern Oregon has been perfect for my little garden!

Broccoli growing in the garden…

I’ve never been really successful at growing broccoli until this year.  The broccoli heads were beautiful and I did not have any problems with aphids.  I grow everything in my garden organically without the use of herbicides or chemical fertilizers.  We compost as much of our kitchen scraps as possible and I rotate the plants every year.  I believe that growing organic vegetables is better for you and tastes so much better than chemically treated vegetables.

Fresh picked broccoli

I found it interesting that the broccoli florets that I picked were not as dense or tightly packed as you would see with store bought broccoli.  I’m not really sure why.  Maybe it was the variety that I planted.  Regardless, the broccoli tasted amazingly fresh and delicious!

With my fresh picked broccoli and sugar snap peas I decided to make an Asian inspired Sesame Broccoli Snap Pea Salad.  My Sesame Broccoli Snap Pea Salad has fresh crunchy red bell pepper, bright red onions, sweet shredded carrots and tossed with a sweet and tangy sesame seed vinaigrette.  Makes 4 servings.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces broccoli florets (cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 8 ounces sugar snap peas (cut in half)
  • 1/2 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • 2 Tbs canola oil
  • 1 Tbs Mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine)
  • 1 Tbs each black and white sesame seeds
  • 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp garlic paste
  • salt and white pepper to taste

Prepare your vegetables and set aside.  Grab a 4 quart pot, fill with water and add a big pinch of salt.  Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil.  Get another bowl and fill with ice cubes and water.  Add broccoli to boiling water and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and add to ice water to stop cooking.  Do the same with the sugar snap peas but cook only 1 minute.

Drain broccoli and snap peas and add to a mixing bowl.  Add remaining vegetables.  Grab a small bowl and whisk together the canola oil, Mirin, sesame seeds, rice wine vinegar, honey, garlic paste, salt and white pepper.  Add to vegetable mixture and toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

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Quinoa Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

Red Quinoa Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

If my little garden was any bigger than it is now, I would be in a heap of trouble.  I try my best to plant vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and chard in various stages so they all don’t mature at once.  It’s called succession planting.  Succession planting is a method of utilizing space and time.  No matter how much effort that I put into planning my garden it seems like there are times when certain vegetables really get away from me.  Today, my problem is lettuce.  And I sure do have lots of it…

The problem with lettuce is that you can generally only eat it fresh.  You can’t freeze it.  And, you can’t can it.  I guess technically, you could, but why?  And once the warm weather hits, it bolts. And once it bolts, it’s bitter.  Fortunately, what I don’t use, I give away to family, friends and coworkers.

Today, I went out and picked a bunch of romaine lettuce, red radishes and parsley from my garden for my Quinoa Black Bean Lettuce Wraps.  My Quinoa Black Bean Lettuce Wraps are easy to make, fresh tasting and vegan too.  The lettuce wraps are made with cooked Red Quinoa, black beans, chopped red onions, little grape tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, radishes, with a bright tasting red wine vinaigrette wrapped up in a lettuce leaf.  It’s a great side dish or by itself for light lunch or dinner.  I’m thinking that these also would make interesting appetizers to serve at my next backyard barbeque.  Makes about 16 wraps.  Enjoy!  Tessa

 Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup red quinoa (picked over and rinsed well)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
  • 1/3 cup diced red onion
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used red grape)
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1/3 cup roasted red bell pepper (diced)
  • juice of one lime
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 1/2 Tbs red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 Tbs maple syrup
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp seasoning salt or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper or to taste
  • 16 lettuce leaves (I used young romaine, but bibb lettuce is probably best)
  • Garnish with lime wedges, thin sliced radishes and sprigs of parsley

Begin by cooking your quinoa and water in a covered saucepan on medium low for about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let cool completely.  In a medium bowl add quinoa, black beans, onion, tomato, cilantro, parsley and roasted red bell pepper.  Mix well.  In a separate bowl whisk together the lime juice, coriander, cumin, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Taste and correct your seasonings.  Add vinaigrette to quinoa mixture.  Mix well to coat.  Chill for about a half an hour and serve spooned on top of lettuce leaves.   Garnish with lime wedges, thinly sliced radishes and fresh picked parsley.  Makes about 16 lettuce wraps.

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Champagne Mango Vinaigrette

Champagne Mango Vinaigrette

It’s mid spring in Southern Oregon and my little garden is producing lettuce like crazy.  A few weeks ago I planted a bunch of different varieties of lettuce, spinach and chard and with the cool wet weather we have had lately, they really have taken off.  With the abundance of lettuce available, it’s time for me to start preparing fresh and healthy spring salads for my family.

I have to tell you that it’s rare that I purchase store bought salad dressings anymore.  I prefer to make homemade vinaigrettes and dressings as opposed to using store bought ones.  In my opinion, homemade dressings are easy to make and taste incredibly fresh and delicious.  Trust me, once you get the hang of how to make your own salad dressings and vinaigrettes, I seriously doubt that you will ever go back to using the store bought stuff ever again…

My little garden.  I planted several types of lettuce.  There’s broccoli and snow peas in the back…

A close up of an onion blossom…

A pail full of fresh picked lettuce and spinach from my garden ready to be drizzled with Champagne Mango Vinaigrette.

If you never heard of or even seen Champagne Mangoes before, listen up…  Champagne Mangoes are an exotic fruit that are a gorgeous shade of golden yellow when perfectly ripe and are smaller in comparison to the other green and red colored mangoes you see in the store. Champagne Mangoes are sweet, juicy and delicious.  Whenever I am fortunate to find them at my local grocery store, I hoard them like nobody’s business. They are hands down one of my favorite type of fruit.

The original Champagne Mango Vinaigrette recipe that I found came from here.  The original recipe was created by Chef Wayne Elias of Mark’s Restaurant in West Hollywood, California for Ciruli Brothers’ champagnemangoes.com. Chef Wayne Elias’ Champagne Mango Vinaigrette is a brilliant combination of fresh champagne mangoes, champagne vinegar, pepper and a hint of sage.  I slightly adapted Chef Wayne Elias’ recipe with the addition of 1 Tbs fresh orange juice.  Champagne Mango Vinaigrette is wonderful drizzled over fresh picked lettuce or grilled fish.  The best way to describe Champagne Mango Vinaigrette is like having liquid sunshine on your salad.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 1 Champagne mango peeled, seeded and diced
  • 2 Tbs champagne vinegar
  • 1 Tbs orange juice
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp ground sage
  • salt to taste

Add all ingredients to a blender and puree.  Taste and correct your seasonings.  Makes about 4 servings.

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Spicy Watermelon Salad

Spicy Watermelon Salad

I just love hot and spicy food.  I can’t even think of even one hot and spicy dish that I don’t like.  Whenever I go to a restaurant and I have the option of choosing the heat level of my food I almost always choose 9 out of a scale of 1 to 10.  1 on the scale means very mild.  10 on the other hand, means it will burn a hole in the sidewalk.  I generally choose a 9 because I still want to be able to taste my food :).

Every time I order hot and spicy food, my sweet husband Bruce looks at me as if I am completely out of my mind.  I look back, smile at him and think to myself that mild food is not an option.  He should know me by now.  I warned him about this little detail many years ago.

Sambal Oelek

If you don’t know or never have heard of sambal oelek before, sambal oelek is an extremely hot (and delicious) Asian chili pepper paste.  Sambal oelek is always a staple our refrigerator and I could not even imagine doing without.  Sambal oelek is not for the faint of heart or is something that you can pack in your child’s lunch.  Simply put, sambal oelek is a delicious condiment that is to be respected.

My Spicy Watermelon Salad is made with bright red watermelon, spicy sambal oelek, sweet chili sauce, sour tamarind paste and lime juice.  It’s easy to make and only contains 5 ingredients.  Makes 4 servings.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups watermelon balls (seedless)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 Tbs  sweet chili sauce
  • 1 tsp tamarind paste
  • 1 tsp sambal oelek (or to taste)

Begin by grabbing a medium sized bowl.  Whisk together the lime juice, sweet chili sauce, tamarind paste and sambal oelek.  Taste and correct your heat level.  Using a melon ball tool, make 4 cups of melon balls.  Add watermelon balls to your sauce.  Toss to coat.  Chill the salad if necessary.  Makes 4 – 1 cup servings.

 

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Asian Cucumber Salad

Asian Cucumber Salad

During the busy work week I try to make dishes that are quick and easy.  My Asian Cucumber Salad is one of those side dishes that I make quite often for my family at dinner hour.  Cucumbers are always a staple in my refrigerator and it’s extremely rare that I don’t have any in stock in the vegetable drawer.  In the summer months I always plant cucumbers in my little garden so I can just go out the back door and pick whatever I need for the family meal.

My Asian Cucumber Salad is super simple to make and ridiculously quick to prepare.  I use a mandolin to slice my cucumbers thinly and perfectly.  If you don’t have a mandolin, I seriously suggest you get one.  My Asian Cucumber Salad is bright, light, and fat free.  The Ponzu and sweet chili sauce makes my Asian Cucumber Salad pop with flavor.  Serve alongside grilled chicken or beef and a scoop of warm fluffy jasmine rice.  Makes about 4 servings.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups English cucumber (thinly sliced)
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper (finely diced)
  • 1/4 cup red onion (finely diced)
  • 1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbs sweet chili sauce
  • 1 Tbs Lime Ponzu (lime flavored soy sauce)
  • 1 Tbs Mirin (sweet rice wine)
  • garnish with fresh snipped chives and toasted sesame seeds

Toss all ingredients into a bowl.  Lightly mix.  Refrigerate for about 15-30 minutes or until well chilled.  Garnish with chives and sesame seeds.

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Asparagus and Champagne Mango Salad

Asparagus and Champagne Mango Salad

If you have not noticed already, I really like asparagus.  Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables and when it is fresh and in season I can’t seem to get enough of it.  Early this morning before anyone in my family decided to crawl out of their beds, I was already out of the house driving my little car along the back roads of Southern Oregon looking for wild asparagus.  Asparagus can be found in mid spring along roadsides and in orchards under the blooming pear trees.  I was hoping to find some this morning but, it appears to be a bit early in the season.  Maybe I’ll find some next week….

Pear orchards and vineyards near my home

If you ever have the opportunity to hunt for wild asparagus, there are two very important rules to remember.  First of all, find a place where the asparagus is not sprayed with herbicides.  If you see asparagus poking through the ground and there are no weeds or grasses around it, don’t pick it.  Ever.  Don’t even think about it.  It’s not safe to eat.  Second, always ask the property owner before taking off into an orchard looking for asparagus.  You really don’t want to be dealing with the owner’s big mean watch dog or the owner himself.  It’s always best to ask first.

Before I go on about the Asparagus and Champagne Mango Salad, I want to thank Weng at ApronandSneakers.com for nominating me for the Liebster Blog Award.  If you get a chance, stop by her site and check out her work.  Weng’s photography is amazing and her recipes are outstanding.

The Liebster Blog Award is sort of a chain letter among bloggers meant to showcase exceptional up-and-coming bloggers with less than 200 followers.  It is a recognition that a fellow blogger has noticed and appreciated your work.  Liebster is German for dearest, favorite, or beloved.

Here are my five nominations for the Liebster Blog Award:

A Taste for Change

Beti at Beti Vanilla

Purabi at Cosmopolitan Currymania

Tia at IamSimplyTia

Tobias at TandTeacake

Rules for the Liebster Blog Award:

Thank the Liebster Blog Award Presenter on your blog
Link back to the blogger who nominated you
Copy and paste the award on your blog
Reveal 5 blogs of your choice
Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

Now back to asparagus… My Asparagus and Champagne Mango Salad is made with fresh picked asparagus, sweet champagne mangoes, crunchy red peppers, purple onions and a wonderful maple red wine vinaigrette.  It’s easy to make and is perfect to serve on a warm spring day.  Enjoy!  Tessa

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups asparagus
  • 1 cup red bell pepper diced
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced
  • 2 champagne (yellow) mangoes peeled and diced
  • 1/4 cup parsley chopped
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup light olive oil
  • ¼ tsp black pepper or to taste
  • ¼ tsp salt or to taste

Fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil.  Add 1 tsp. salt to the water (salt helps keep the bright green color in the asparagus).  Wash, trim and cut the woody tips off the asparagus.  Toss the woody tips in your compost bin.  Cut your asparagus into 1″ pieces on the diagonal.  Put asparagus in boiling water.  Cook asparagus for about 3 minutes.  Quickly remove asparagus and immediately put into cold ice water.  Wait a few minutes until the asparagus has cooled and then drain.  Meanwhile, prepare your vegetables and mango and set aside.  Grab a large mixing bowl and whisk together the red wine vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, black pepper and salt.  Add asparagus, mango, onion, red bell pepper and parsley.  Toss to coat.  Serve cold.  Makes about 4 servings.

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