Rainbow Mexican Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Happy November! I know everyone is posting apple, pumpkin and squash recipes (including myself), but today I am deviating from the norm to deliver this delicious, colorful salad I made last week. I’m not going to lie, pretty much every day I’ve been eating or drinking something fall-themed – pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice coffee and pumpkin tempeh kale burgers, just to name a few. But last week, Southern California decided it wasn’t quite done with summer yet and LA hit 85 degrees. Whenever it gets hot, I get an itch for some Mexican food and a margarita. So I made this salad in an attempt to curb my craving in a healthier way and it did just the trick!

This six-ingredient salad is light but filling and full of protein, healthy fats and colorful veggies. It’s a great lunch option that can be quickly prepared the night before and won’t cause a 2 PM food coma. I paired it with Minimalist Baker’s Avocado Cilantro Dressing because, let’s be honest, you can never have enough avocado. I always need a little crunch in my salad, so I also topped it with some leftover Tortilla Chip-Crusted Tempeh by Veggie and the Beast. If you’re looking for something a little simpler, you could top it with crumbled tortilla chips or croutons. The end result is a creamy, crunchy, avocado party in your mouth. Basically, the best kind of party. So the next time you find yourself craving a light Mexican meal, try this recipe out! I think you’ll end up doing a little avocado happy dance like I may or may not have done.

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Ingredients:

~2 cups of lettuce of your choice (I used spinach, but romaine would also work well)
1/3 cup corn
1/3 cup black beans
1/3 cup tomato, diced
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 ripe avocado
Avocado Cilantro Dressing (ingredients + directions here)
Optional: Tortilla Chip Encrusted Tempeh (ingredients + directions here)
Other topping options: red bell pepper, croutons, crumbled tortilla chips or tortilla strips