Mexican Chopped Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing

 

This Mexican Chopped Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing is light, healthy, and bursting with Mexican-inspired flavors!

Note: This post was originally published in 2014. I am republishing today with some updated photos. I have made this Mexican Chopped Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing countless times–it’s one of my very favorites. Here’s what I first wrote about it three years ago: 

This salad!  I am so madly in love with this salad.  I sound like a young girl falling in love for the first time, but really, it kind of feels like way.

Only this is a salad, and therefore that’s weird. But I can’t help but be excited about this glorious, healthy, Mexican-inspired salad.  Remember when I was pregnant with Luke and craving Mexican food like it was nobody’s business?  Well since that pregnancy, the amount of Mexican food consumed in this house has decreased drastically.  It’s a tragedy.

Here’s the thing.  Tim developed some strange aversion to spicy food, so he requested I don’t put anything spicy on the menu very often.  He likes spicy food, but his body doesn’t. Then there’s the kids.  Well, let’s just say if Luke eats a piece of food with the tiniest bit of pepper on it, he screams, as loud as he can, “Hooooooooooot!” and spits out the offending food while rubbing his tongue with his hand.

Despite this, I couldn’t let Cinco de Mayo sneak by without having some Mexican-inspired food come out of my kitchen.  The great thing about this salad is that I can serve the kids everything from the salad and instead of the spicy avocado dressing, they can have some avocado chunks.  Tim can simply leave off the dressing and have a different dressing of his choice.  Win.

They are all missing out, though, because it’s the dressing that makes this salad so amazing.  Avocado lends a creamy texture without any dairy at all.  It’s bursting with flavor from cilantro and lime and a touch of hot sauce gives it some heat.

Never made your own dressing?  You will be shocked at how easy it is.  Just blend everything together and you’re all set.

As much as I love Mexican food, sometimes I don’t love the heaviness of it.  This salad is the perfect solution.  It’s dairy-free, wheat-free, and bursting with tons of colorful produce.    I hope you’ll put it on your Cinco de Mayo or next party menu!

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Mexican Chopped Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing

This Mexican Chopped Salad with Spicy Avocado Dressing is light, healthy, and bursting with Mexican-inspired flavors!

• Author: Happy Healthy Mama
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Salad

2 hearts of romaine, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut into eighths

1 green onion, green part sliced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed

1 cup cooked black beans

For the Spicy Avocado Dressing

1 small, ripe avocado

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

heaping 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

juice from 2 limes

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon minced garlic

3-5 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or more or less to taste

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients for the salad in a large bowl and use two large forks to toss well.
2. To prepare the dressing, put the flesh of the avocado, olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, salt, 3 tablespoons water, garlic, and the Tabasco sauce into a blender or mini-food processor.  I like my small, Magic Bullet blender for this.
3. Process until the dressing is very smooth.  Add more water if needed for desired consistency (it will depend on the size of your avocado and how thick you like your dressing).
4. You can dress the salad and then serve, or allow each person to put the amount of dressing they desire on their individual salads.  Enjoy!

Notes

Extra dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
• Calories: 248
• Sugar: 7 grams
• Fat: 12 grams
• Carbohydrates: 32 grams
• Fiber: 12 grams
• Protein: 9 grams

 

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