SOUTHWESTERN SALAD WITH AVOCADO DRESSING
Avvvvvocado!
Calling all the avocado lovers. * raises hand*
I’m excited to introduce– this gorgeous, nutritious, delicious burst of color! tossed in the most delicious, creamy avocado cilantro-lime dressing! flavor explosions with every bite! (Vegan, gluten-free)
Today’s salad is so super simple and classic – just chopped romaine lettuce tossed with sweet corn, black beans, tomatoes, red beans and a cool n’ creamy avocado dressing that is packed with cilantro, lime, and other good things.
This salad takes about 30 minutes to prep, start to finish.
This colorful Southwestern Salad with Creamy Avocado dressing is healthy, crunchy and loaded with tons of veggies and bursts of flavor in every bite!
Ok so I’m totally that person that when I find a salad, or really any sort of meal that I like, I tend to make it all. the. freakin. time. Call me a creature of habit, but hey I love what I love!
This salad is really great for meal prep too! Just pre-chop all your veggies and store them in a sealed airtight container along with your chopped romaine lettuce. Separately store the avocado dressing in another container or jar – I personally used a mason jar with a screw top lid which makes it super easy to shake before using! Then when you’re ready to eat just throw it all together, so eeeeeeeasy.
Feel free to add some chopped chicken or shrimp to this salad for some added protein and a super filling meal. I personally love a good old grilled chicken as you can see from the pic. Protein I think goes really well over top of this salad.
I always seem to have a ton of cilantro on hand so this seemed like the perfect recipe to throw together. The dressing is totally the hero of this dish and really makes the whole salad come together. Feel free to make the dressing as thick or thin as you’d like. When blending everything in your food processor, stream the water in from the top starting with just a 1/4th cup to see which consistency you prefer. Then simply add more as-needed. I didn’t want to oversaturate this dressing with a ton of olive oil and the water seemed to do the trick!
INGREDIENTS
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup canned black/red beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 onion chopped
1 orange/yellow capsicum cubed
For the Dressing:
1 avocado
1 garlic clove
¼ cup cilantro leaves
3 Tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ to ½ cup water (depending on consistency)
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the salad, toss the romaine lettuce, tomatoes, beans, corn, capsicum and onios together in a large bowl.
To make the dressing, combine the avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and salt/pepper in a food processor and pulse until combined. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and water until smooth and you have your desired consistency.
Drizzle the dressing over top of the salad and toss until completely coated or cover and store the dressing and salad separately until ready to serve. Enjoy!
