Chipotle Cashew Chopped Salad with Vegan Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing

Dinner salads are perfect for summer nights when you don’t want to turn the oven on. This spicy, savory chopped salad is especially satisfying on those light-bite evenings, but still lets you add a little “heat” to dinnertime.

Bright, crisp romaine is chopped and topped with smoky chipotle-glazed cashews, paired with cool and creamy avocado and drizzled with a splendid coconut cream dressing. It’s absolutely delicious, and incredibly quick to make.

Chopped Salad: A Full Meal in a Bowl

The plant protein from the cashews and hemp seeds makes this an ideal vegan meal, but feel free to add grilled chicken to make it a paleo meal. You can make the spiced cashews ahead of time and store them in an airtight container.

The avocados in the salad beef it up to keep you feeling full all evening long, and also offer heart-healthy fats. As an added bonus, avocados increase absorption of antioxidants, making your salad super healthy.

Vegans will really enjoy the creamy dressing as it contains no dairy. Almond milk and coconut cream sub in for buttermilk to give you amazing texture and taste.

For Tex-Mex flavors, look no further than chipotle chili powder and cilantro, which add a fresh and spicy zest to the salad. Chopped salads are extremely versatile, and you can easily change up the ingredients and dressing to your liking.

Make sure to add chopped salads to your weekly dinner menu this summer, and try this delightful and healthy south-of-the-border chopped salad tonight!

Quick Kitchen Tip

Ever wondered how to create perfectly smooth avocado slices?

Here’s the secret:

1. Slice a ripe avocado in half.
2. Remove the pit by tapping it with a sharp knife and twisting until the pit pops out.
3. Slice each half into half again. Gently pull the peel from the avocado.
4. Now slice each quarter piece with a sharp knife.
5. Voila! Chef-approved avocado slices!

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Chipotle Chopped Salad

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Servings

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Ingredients

Salad

• red palm oil
• 1 cup cashews
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dehydrated onion flakes
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 12 cups romaine lettuce (chopped)
• 1 avocado
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds

Buttermilk Dressing

• 2 green onions
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup coconut cream or Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• sea salt and pepper (to taste)

Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Salad red palm oil 1 cup cashews 2 tbsp honey 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1 tsp dehydrated onion flakes 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp pepper 12 cups romaine lettuce (chopped) 1 avocado 2 tbsp hemp seeds Buttermilk Dressing 2 green onions 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 1 clove garlic 1/4 cup almond milk 1/4 cup coconut cream or Greek yogurt 1/4 cup olive oil 2 tbsp lemon juice sea salt and pepper (to taste)

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Instructions

1. In a nonstick ceramic skillet, heat oil to medium-high heat. Add cashews to the skillet, drizzle with honey, sprinkle with chili powder, red pepper flakes, onion flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly, cooking until the honey begins to caramelize.
2. Mix the Buttermilk Dressing ingredients together in a blender until pureed.
3. Toss the cashew on top of romaine salad. Add avocado slices, sprinkle with hemp seeds. Drizzle on the Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing.

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Yuri Elkaim

Yuri Elkaim is one of the world’s most trusted health and fitness experts. A former pro soccer player turned NYT bestselling author of The All-Day Energy Diet and The All-Day Fat Burning Diet, his clear, science-backed advice has transformed the lives of more than 500,000 men and women and he’s on a mission to help 100 million people by 2040. Read his inspiring story, “From Soccer to Bed to No Hair on My Head” that started it all.