I love a good crisp salad. This Chopped Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch is a delicious vegetarian meal or side dish, but you can also add rotisserie chicken or grilled steak and make it a complete meal. 
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The Chopped Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch:

We start with a bed of crispy chopped romaine lettuce then top it with fresh tomatoes, black beans, grilled bell pepper, sweet grilled corn, grilled green onions, salty pepitas and Cotija cheese!

Let’s Talk About This Creamy Avocado Ranch Dressing:

This creamy dressing is the best! Simply place your favorite ranch dressing in a blender, add a ripe avocado, lime juice, and fresh cilantro and blend it up. When it comes to store bought dressings I am a bit picky (NO SEED OILS PLEASE!) so I have some recommendations: I really love Tessemae’s or Primal Kitchen’s Ranch Dressing,both are available at many grocery stores. I also love using  homemade ranch dressing, which is easier to make than you might think!

This dressing literally takes about 60 seconds to make! It’s so creamy and delicious too.

Such a colorful and beautiful meal!

What to Serve it With:

I serve this salad with my Spicy Lime Chicken for a beautiful, healthy, delicious dinner!

The Recipe: Chopped Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch

5 from 1 vote

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Chopped Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Ranch

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

A beautiful side dish for any Mexican main course.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: dairy-free recipe, easy lunch recipe, light recipe

Servings: 8 servings

Author: Linda Spiker

Ingredients

Salad:

• 1-2 Tablespoons olive or avocado oil
• 1 large orange bell pepper, diced
• kernels shaved from two ears of corn
• 5 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped (approx 6 cups)
• 1/2 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled (Cotija is a Mexican cheese found at most grocery stores)
• 1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 small roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Creamy Avocado Dressing:

• 1/2 cup of your favorite ranch dressing (see my suggestions in blog post above)
• 1 ripe avocado
• juice from one lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves removed from stems

Instructions

Salad prep:

1. Prep bell pepper. Place olive oil in sauce pan on medium/high heat.

2. Add diced bell pepper to pan. Sauté for five minutes. While peppers cook, shave the kernels off corn cobs with a sharp knife. (The easiest way to do this is in a bowl) Slice green onions.

3. Add corn kernels and onions to pan and sauté, stirring frequently for 4 more minutes. If corn starts popping turn down heat to medium.

4. While veggies cook, place chopped romaine on a platter or in a bowl. Prep beans, tomatoes and cheese, set aside.

5. When bell pepper and corn are soft and slightly browned remove from heat and allow to cool. Make dressing.

Dressing prep:

1. Place all dressing ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth. Pour over romaine and toss. You may not need all the dressing.

2. Pour cooled corn mixture, beans, tomatoes, pepitas and Citija cheese on top of salad. Enjoy!

MAY I PLEASE ASK A LITTLE FAVOR?

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