Black Bean Mango Buckwheat Salad

This vegan, gluten-free black bean mango buckwheat salad recipe makes a great lunch or side dish. The zesty lime dressing is extra tasty!

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I’m a big fan of grain salads. Grains can be a bit ho-hum on their own, but add a bunch of veggies, and it’s a whole new ball game. And speaking of ball games… This black bean mango buckwheat salad travels well, so you can take it out to the ball game! It tastes good at room temperature, and you don’t have to worry about wilting greens. 😁

Grain Cooking Options

I’ve fallen in love with cooking grains in my Instant Pot. Yes, I’ve been a big proponent of rice cookers, but I have to confess the Instant Pot does a better job. (So, if you haven’t bought a rice cooker yet, you might want to consider an Instant Pot.) Don’t get me wrong. I still use my rice cooker for things like my rice cooker pasta recipe. But if I had to choose between the two, I’d choose the Instant Pot.

The recipe below shares the Instant Pot method and the stovetop method for cooking buckwheat. I referred to a great article by HealWithFood.org on Cooking Times for 30 Grains for guidance.

Buckwheat

I usually make grain salads with rice or quinoa. This is my first time working with buckwheat. I knew it was gluten-free and a healthy alternative to rice, but I was amazed by how quickly it cooks! It cooks almost as quickly as quinoa! I see more buckwheat recipes in my future!

If you don’t have buckwheat on hand, feel free to substitute another grain in this recipe. But be sure to give buckwheat a try in the future. It’s wonderful!

Black Bean Mango Buckwheat Salad

This black bean mango buckwheat salad is easy to prepare with simple ingredients that are easy to find. Black beans and buckwheat create a fiber-rich dish that sticks with you. The sweet taste of mango combines nicely with the peppery flavor of arugula and the zesty flair of lime.

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Black Bean Mango Buckwheat Salad

This vegan gluten-free recipe makes a great lunch or side dish.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Veggie Primer

Ingredients

• 1 cup buckwheat groats
• 1¾ – 2 cups water
• 1 mango diced
• ½ red onion chopped
• 3 handfuls of baby arugula minced
• 3½ cups cooked black beans or 2 15.5 oz cans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cucumber diced – peel and seeds removed
• juice and zest from 2 organic limes
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• salt to taste

Instructions

Stovetop Buckwheat

• Place 1 cup buckwheat groats in a fine strainer and rinse thoroughly with water.
• Bring 2 cups of water to boil in a medium sauce pan. Stir in buckwheat and bring mixture back to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until grains are tender.
• When buckwheat reaches desired texture, remove sauce pan from heat and allow to cool with lid slightly ajar for 5 to 10 minutes, then pour off any remaining water.

Instant Pot Buckwheat (My preferred method!)

• Rinse 1 cup buckwheat groats thoroughly with water.
• Combine buckwheat with 1¾ cups water in Instant Pot. Close lid securely, make sure steam vent is in closed position and manually select 5 minutes for the cook time (high pressure).
• When cooking cycle ends, allow pressure to release naturally by turning keep warm cycle off and waiting about 20 minutes for the pressure to drop before you open the pot.

Salad

• Combine cooked buckwheat with mango, onion, arugula, black beans and cucumber in a large mixing bowl.
• Zest limes over the bowl.
• Whisk lime juice with maple syrup and cumin in a small bowl.
• Pour lime dressing over buckwheat salad and stir to mix.
• Serve cold or at room temperature. Salt individual servings at the table if desired.

Notes

Note: Nutrition information is a rough estimate for special dietary needs. I subscribe to the theories presented in the book Whole and believe we should focus on eating a variety of whole foods instead of counting calories or keeping track of individual nutrients.

Nutrition

Calories: 151kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 441mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 502IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg

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