Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing

I'm excited to introduce our all-time favorite salad - this gorgeous, nutritious, delicious burst of color! I'm revisiting the recipe from a while ago because we make it often and love it, so I wanted to get better photographs to share with you all. That and I recently made a homemade creamy cilantro-lime dressing to toss it with and WHOA baby; flavor explosions with every bite!! The dressing and salad are a perfect marriage - so crisp and refreshing. I love to grab a spoon and scoop up all the beautiful colors. For us, one recipe of the cilantro dressing is a great match for the amount of salad below. Hope you give it a try!

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Vegan, gluten-free

Ingredients
Large head of romaine
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large orange bell pepper
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
5 green onions
Optional: avocado

{For the dressing} click to read more about notes and variations to the dressing
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt)
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime), more to taste
1-2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil (for oil-free, sub a little water to thin)
1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt
Recommended: agave/honey, cumin

Directions
Make the dressing: puree all ingredients in a food processor/blender until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Toss with desired dressing.

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