 We go crazy for the Southwestern Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing, so I wanted to create a similar salad with different flavors. Instead of cilantro-lime, I changed it up with some wonderful lemon-basil. You can use whatever salad vegetables you like – it’s extremely versatile. I used these for a “rainbow effect” and maximum color pop!
We also love to add beans for a protein punch. The dressing makes an amazing veggie dip or dressing for other salads too. Feel free to make the dressing ahead of time and toss with the salad right before serving. (It gets even better as it sits in the fridge after the flavors combine!)
Rainbow Chopped Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
This beautiful Rainbow Chopped Salad is both a color-burst and nutrient-burst! All tossed with a creamy avocado lemon-basil dressing.
Prep Time:25 minutes
Total Time:25 minutes
Servings:6 side servings
Ingredients
- 1 large head romaine
- 1/2 small head red cabbage
- 8 oz. cherry tomatoes
- 1 english cucumber
- 2 carrots
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- Optional: garbanzo beans, sweet corn, sprouts, fresh herbs, etc.
For the creamy avocado dressing:
- 1 avocado
- Juice from 1 lemon (more to taste)
- 2/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp. agave
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil (omit for oil-free)
- 3 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Make the dressing: place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust flavors if necessary. Place in fridge to let flavors mingle while you make the salad.
- Chop all salad vegetables and place in a large bowl.
- Pour dressing over top and toss well to combine. (Or keep dressing + salad stored separately to extend usability.)
Nutrition Per Serving (estimate)
Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 616mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 5070IU | Vitamin C: 91.7mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @thegardengrazer on Instagram and hashtag it #thegardengrazer. I love seeing your recreations!
This looks so good! I haven't tried your dressings yet, but I'm excited to do so! Love how colourful this dish is with the veggies you picked! Makes me happy too!… also, I know exactly what you mean about the avocado pits! … terrible things!
AHA! There's two of us!! 🙂 Glad to hear you're excited to try the dressings – hope you love them! Thanks for the message Sarah!
Looks beautiful, can't wait to try it. Although I am not normally into one use kitchen gadgets, I bought an OXO Good Grips 3-in-1 Avocado Slicer, which splits, pits and slices avocados without any danger to your hands. Only $10 it works great and is well worth it for those of us that use a lot of avocados.
What!! Brilliant! I never knew such a thing existed – definitely looking into that 🙂 Thanks!
I also came here to comment that I also have an avocado slicer/pitter. Mine is only a 2-in-1 though. I got it from Bed Bath and Beyond for $9.99!
Nice!!! Thanks Liz! I guess I'm a little behind on the cool kitchen gadgets! 🙂
I know what I'm making this weekend. This looks so colorful and healthy – can't wait to try it.
Yay! Hope you love it Geraldine! It's definitely a fun burst of color 🙂
You need to buy your avocados from a Mexican grocer. They have a continuous supply of really ripe and ready to eat avocados. If your avocado is properly ripe, the pit just slides out without using any implements at all.
Great tip Teresa! Will keep an eye out! 🙂
Hi again, Kaitlin! I found that if I hit the knife handle (with the pit on the blade) on the edge of my kitchen trash can, it pops off! No muss, no fuss. This is a very late comment (like 2 years) but maybe I can help someone. 🙂
Nice Kathy! Avocado pits and I get along pretty well now, but definitely trying out your method next time!! 😉