Tag Archives: Black Bean and Mango Salad

Show 637, July 26, 2025: Miami Vegan – Plant-Based Recipes From the Tropics to Your Table with Ellen Kanner, the “Soulful Vegan”

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Vegan Cookbook Author Ellen Kramer

“Feast on Miami Vegan: Plant Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table, a plant-based celebration of the tropics, brimming with bold Latin and Caribbean flavors and beloved dishes reflecting Miami’s delicious diversity. Award-winning author and Miami native Ellen Kanner brings Miami to your table with over 80 recipes delivering succulence, sizzle, and the big sun-drenched flavors you love—all with a plant-based spin.” 

“Featured recipes include flaky guava cream cheese pastry, citrus-sparked and fish-free ceviche, creamy, coconutty Caribbean curry, savory Latin favorite picadillo, meltingly tender sweet plantains, and classic gone vegan Key lime pie. Discover how the spangle of citrus, the gentle warmth of chiles and spices, and the bounty of fresh green herbs have the power to transform even simple staples like rice and beans into a party-worthy hot pot that feeds a crowd.”

“Miami Vegan brings the city’s bright tropical flavors to your kitchen with vibrant, accessible recipes so you can enjoy the taste of Miami no matter where you live.”

“Ellen Kanner is the author of Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table and the award-winning book Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith and What to Eat for Dinner. She writes about the intersection of food, culture, community, wellness, and sustainability for numerous outlets including HuffPost, VegNews, and Edible South Florida. She’s a vegan advocate and culinary instructor, recipe developer for major brands, and the creator of the Substack newsletter Broccoli Rising. A fifth generation Miami native, she lives with her husband in.. where else? – Miami. Ellen takes a break from her cutting board to join us.”

Ellen graciously shares with us her Miami Vegan recipes for Guava Cream Cheese Pastry and Fireworks Black Bean and Mango Salad.

Fireworks Black Bean and Mango Salad

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Black Bean and Mango Salad recipe by Ellen Kanner

Recipe excerpt from:
Miami Vegan: Plant Based Recipes From the To Your Table
by Ellen Kanner

I created this recipe a few years ago to bring to my friend D’s annual Fourth of July party. I wasn’t planning to, but that day, she called and said, “Hey, are you still vegan?” Um, yeah, now and forever. The party spread turned out to be not vegan-friendly, and D asked if I could bring something that was. So with little warning, and using what I had in the kitchen, I came up with a winner.
Fireworks Black Bean and Mango Salad combines tender, earthy-flavored black beans, sweet, juicy mango, tart lime, sweet and hot peppers, soft, fresh greens, and buttery toasted pepitas—pumpkin seeds—offer healthy fats and fun crunch. It’s a no-cook wonder that can sit out on a picnic table for hours without wilting.

Oil-free fans, this is your moment. And even if you’re not oil-free, this is your salad. It’s naked—in a sexy way, I hope—but I mean it doesn’t have a real dressing. It doesn’t need it. The cumin, lime juice, and mango create the flavor, and the mango also provides the right amount of moisture that holds everything together. These flavors, textures, and colors come together like a burst of fireworks. Like America itself.

How to serve: Great as part of a buffet or picnic. Nice with cornbread or hoecakes.

Ingredients

  • 1 jalapeño, minced
  • 1 red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 2 stalks celery chopped fine (about 1 cup)
  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans rinsed and drained or 4 cups cooked black beans
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 2 mangos, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
  • 1 bunch cilantro chopped
  • sea salt and fresh ground pepper to
  • taste
  • 1/4 cup toasted pepitas pumpkin seeds for garnish, optional but add- ing fabulous crunch, not to mention goodly amounts of manganese and magnesium
  • 3–4 cups fresh greens like spinach, arugula or frisée

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, gently mix together jala- peño, diced red pepper, and celery. Add the black beans and combine well.
  • Add the cumin and the lime and toss to coat.
  • Just before serving, add the chopped mangos and chopped cilantro to the black beans. Season to taste. Place black beans and mango atop greens and serve at once, garnishing with toasted pepitas, if you like (and you will).
  • Serves 4.