Are you sick of the typical Passover salads, which seem to include beets, beets and more beets? Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against beets. I like them. But a little variety is good, too.


This salad combines crunchy romaine and cucumbers with soft feta and roasted sweet potatoes. The dressing is somewhat unusual—it’s mango-based. Throw on some salted cashews, and voilà—a breathtakingly beautiful vegetable mosaic just waiting to dance on your palate.


It took me five tries to get this dressing just right. There were mangoes, lemons, limes, oranges, oils, feta and ricotta cheeses, scallions, onions, honey, salt, brown and white sugars—even ginger strewn across my counter. In the end I went simple with just four ingredients: mango, lemon, sugar and onion. The final version tastes one-dimensional at first, but as you eat it the flavors really come out, and the onion gives it a nice bite.


Salad Ingredients:

  • 3 heads romaine lettuce
  • 2 cucumbers
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 small onion (optional)
  • 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
  • ⅓ cup roasted, salted cashews
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • ¼ tsp. salt

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1 small mango
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 tsp. sugar
  • ½ small onion

Directions:

  1. Cut sweet potato in quarters lengthwise and slice thinly. Place on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast on 400° F for approximately 30 minutes. Optional: Add a diced onion—it gives the sweet potato added flavor.
  2. Wash, check and cut the romaine. Halve the cucumbers and slice thinly. Crumble in the feta cheese and add the sweet potatoes. Toss all ingredients together.
  3. Blend dressing ingredients until smooth.
  4. Immediately before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad, and toss lightly until all ingredients are coated. Sprinkle with nuts and enjoy!