Southwestern Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
- By Amy Dong
- Updated Nov. 30, 2023
This Southwestern Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing both looks and tastes bright, festive, and refreshingly delicious! A great way to get your greens, oranges, yellows, and protein.
Happy Monday, Y’all! 🙂
Yeah, I know. I don’t actually feel bright eyed and bushy tailed on any Mondays basically ever.
I tried.
It’s also mid-January, which could mean one of two things: you’re rocking your New Year’s resolutions, or you’re questioning your sanity when you decided on them.
Then, a third possibility: you don’t make resolutions.
I’m that girl…
…I don’t do resolutions.
It’s not ’cause I’m a pessimist or a total party pooper. More like I’ve lived long enough to know what works for me (kinda…sometimes.)
Instead, I focus on a specific word for the year and sorta make that my “thing.”
Last year, the word gratitude chose me – I can’t take the credit – and I embarked on a yearlong project, which is actually ongoing for like probably ever.
To be honest, I’m still unsure what my special focus word is going to be for 2015. I’m not worried that we’re already two weeks in. It’s just a date and a date’s just a number, right? Just like age 😉
It’ll come to me eventually.
One thing I do know is that I’ve made no plans to stop eating chocolate or cookies or basically anything sweet and carby.
But, hey. Veggies are in the house. I love my salads and often. The Littles tell people their mommy’s favorite food is lettuce. Not quite.
But when the dressing is this?
This creamy cilantro lime dressing is dreamy. It’s refreshing and light, despite being creamy. It doesn’t feel or taste heavy at all.
The flavors of this dressing are bright, festive, zesty, and tangy.
The cilantro doesn’t overpower the flavors, but lends a nice earthiness. Lime ensures a zesty tang, and honey gives it that sweetness to balance it all out.
This Southwestern Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing has the most beautiful vibrant colors.
It’ll create some healthy lunch envy if you bring it to work. It’s the perfect healthy dinner; add grilled chicken to make it heartier.
The ingredients can easily be chopped and prepared ahead of time and mixed up just before serving.
Enjoy!
Did you make this?
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Southwestern Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, washed/dried and roughly chopped
- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained well
- 1 large orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
- 2 cups frozen or canned corn, drained
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
- Optional: Crispy tortilla strips for topping
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- ⅔ cup plain whole Greek yogurt
- 2 TB freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 large clove garlic
- 2 TB extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp white balsamic vinegar*
- 3 TB pure honey
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp table salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the Dressing (can be done up to several days ahead): In a blender or food processor, blend all dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add more seasonings to taste. Transfer to airtight container and keep chilled.
- Assemble the Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Gently toss to combine. Toss in desired amount of salad dressing to coat. Top with crispy tortilla strips if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Apple cider vinegar can be used in place of white balsamic vinegar.
- You can add a few dashes of ground chili or cayenne to the dressing, if you’d like a bit of kick.
Nutrition (per serving)
Source: Chew Out Loud, adapted from The Garden Grazer
Here are a few of our other resolution-friendly recipes:
- BBQ Ranch Chopped Chicken Salad. This one is hearty, satisfying, and full of great flavor.
- Caprese Pasta Salad. The perfect salad when you want some chewy carbs mixed in. It’s fresh, light, and totally nosh worthy.
- Beet and Blue Cheese Salad with Pistachio. One of my faves. Especially when beets are available almost year round, and are packed with antioxidants! The blue cheese is creamy and savory, and pistachios add the perfect nutty crunch.
- Best Creamy Caesar Salad. This is an OMG salad. I love, love contributing this salad to any potluck gathering because people always ask for the recipe. It’s better than restaurant in both quality and taste.
