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This is a great little salad.  It’s pretty, it holds up well and it’s delicious.  Mandarins have just come into the market and they are wonderful.  I find, you can eat the entire being, peel and all.  And they’re gorgeous and just scream autumn.This is the thought process The Goddess uses when she has an idea, or an ingredient she’s thinking about.  This came together rather quickly, because she had just brought home a bag of beautiful Mandarins.  They were large, firm and just plain gorgeous.  She was thinking salad…she was thinking Mandarin and she was checking her crisper drawer and these are things that just leaped out at her.  She started with a Mandarin.  She cut a thin slice off both the bottom and top, down to the pulp; less than one-quarter inch.  She just diced everything into more or less, pea-sized bits.  She diced up a Persian cucumber, about 6 inches of the top of a celery rib, with its leaves, two golf ball-sized tomatoes, some fresh basil and a a couple of mint leaves.  Then, she remembered those blanched green beans from the chicken salad she made a couple of days ago.  So she cut a small handful into pieces and tossed those in.  She sprinkled on garlic granules, kosher salt and a drizzle of honey and olive oil.  That should do it…that’s what she wanted.  She gave it a good stir and wait!  She remembered that she has olives.  They would be good, so she sliced them in half or thirds and stirred them in.  She set the bowl aside for an hour or two so that all those flavors could mingle and come to full flavor.  After she ate the leftovers for breakfast, she realized this salad is best served at room temperature.  Before serving, give it a bit of stir.  You might want to garnish it with a sprig of mint or basil.  We enjoyed it served along side Turkish Pide.  This will definitely make this salad again.  Maybe at Thanksgiving…hmmm.  What do you think?  It is a crunchy, and very refreshing salad.  It was a nice foil to the richness of the pide.  You may double or triple this easily.  Change the proportion and the ingredients to your own taste.  I think fresh fennel instead of celery would be delicious.  I think hearts of palm would be a lovely addition.  I think toasted nuts sprinkled over or stirred in at the very last moment, would be nice.  You get the drift….enjoy your day and you dinner!

Mandarin, Green Bean, Tomato, Cucumber and Olive Salad

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

  • 1 large-ish Manadarin
  • 1 Persian cucumber, diced
  • 1 small celery rib, diced (from the heart with some leaves)
  • 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (cherry, Compari® or Roma)
  • 10-12 blanched green beans, diced
  • 1/3 cup pitted olives, cut into pieces (I use a mixture)
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh mint leaves
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Large pinch kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon your best flavored olive oil
  • Sprig(s) of mint or basil, for garnish

Slice the very bottom and top, just to where you can see the pulp of the Mandarin.  Then dice it into about pea-sized pieces…maybe a bit larger.  Place all the ingredients in a bowl; stir to combine.  Set aside for at least an hour, but no longer than three hours.  Stir before serving.

NOTE:  This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Mandarin, Green Bean, Tomato, Cucumber and Olive Salad Recipe©Marcia Lahens 2020.  All rights reserved.