Vegan Southwest Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette

When you think of a southwestern salad, your mind probably wanders to one of the only relatively healthy menu options at a commercial fast food restaurant. These salads often contain fatty dressing, tortilla chips, cheese, and less-than-fresh ingredients. Pro-tip- the creamy dressing disguises the fact that the vegetables may have been previously frozen, or the lettuce is browning.

But...there is something about that southwest salad, right?! The crisp lettuce, spicy flare, and creaminess are quite appealing... and honestly they make us feel like we should be sipping on a margarita while we enjoy them.  So, we decided to turn this casual salad on it's head, and make it vegan, while combining so many of the elements we enjoy. 

This salad is loaded with vitamin, fiber and protein rich veggies. We roasted sweet potatoes in a spice blent until they were crispy to add that crunchiness without using tortilla chips. Instead of a creamy dressing, we sliced an avocado to add a rich element with good-fats. In addition, we topped the salad with black beans, diced tomatoes, and minced red-onion to add flavor and a colorful flare. And for the dressing, we kept it light and simple with a honey, lime vinaigrette for an element of citrus that pairs nicely with the avocado and other veggies. 

This salad is a filling dinner, or can be made in advance for your lunch time meal prep. Here's how we did it:

Servings: 4 salads

Ingredients:

• 2 large heads of romaine lettuce 
• 1/2 can of black beans, drained and rinsed 
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped 
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 avocado, sliced or cubed
• 2 large sweet potatoes 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tbsp paprika 
• 1/2 tbsp of chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste 

For the dressing:

• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped 
• 1/2 tsp water
• 1/2 tsp honey 
• salt to taste 

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Spray baking sheet with non-stick spray.

2. Chop sweet potatoes into small cubes, coat in olive oil and paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper, mix well until potatoes are well-coated in olive oil and spices.  Place on the baking sheet and roast for twenty minutes. Remove from the oven, and flip the potatoes. Place back in oven for 10 minutes or until crispy. 

3. To prepare the salad, chop ingredients and plate veggies on top of salad. Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk together with a fork. Drizzle dressing on top of the salad, and enjoy!