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Vegetarian Taco Salad With Chunky Salsa Dressing

Gluten Free. Vegan. Dairy Free Option.

This is not your ordinary taco salad. It’s bursting with flavour and packed with fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals. For those used to meat tacos - you won’t even miss the ground beef!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients 

  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into chunks

  • 1 tbsp olive oil

  • 2 tsp chili powder

  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked

  • 1 15oz BPA-Free can of Black Beans (or about 1 ½ Cups of home-cooked beans)

  • 8 cups of spinach, mixed greens or romaine lettuce

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced in half

  • ¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1 avocado, sliced or cubed

  • 1 cup mango, diced

  • ½ cup goat’s feta cheese (or feel free to use shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese or omit altogether)

  • Tortilla Chips- a few handfuls to crush on top (I like Que Paso. Be sure to find Gluten Free if needed)

Chunky Salsa Dressing

  • 1 cup salsa (I like Newman’s Original or Newman’s Mango)

  • 2-3 tsp maple syrup

  • 1-2 tbsp Lime juice

  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil

  • ¼ tsp chili powder

  • ½ tsp salt

  • optional- 1-2 tbsp mango balsamic vinegar. I like the brand OLIV. 

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  In a large bowl toss the sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder. Roast in the oven for 40mins, removing halfway to flip. 

  2. Cook Quinoa according to package directions. (1 cup dried = 3 cups cooked. Freeze or refrigerate extra)

  3. Prepare dressing by whisking all ingredients together in a bowl. 

  4. Personally I like to keep everything in separate bowls and have individuals make up their own! That way you can take what you want of each ingredient and it prevents everything from falling to the bottom of a big bowl. Alternatively though you can toss everything into a large bowl and top with a handful of crushed tortilla chips. I would just leave the dressing on the side. 

Tips: 

  • For extra flavour I like to toss the black beans in some chili powder!

  • Feel free to make your black beans from scratch

  • Save time and prepare your quinoa in advance. 

  • The Mango infused Balsamic Vinegar is a nice luxury but not necessary as we’ve added the mango to the salad already.