Addictive Mexican Salad Recipe

It’s finally happening.

I’m sharing the recipe for the salad I’ve had 3 days a week for the last four months. (I almost never do that, usually I’m all about variety with lunch & dinner.) This salad is the reason I’ve had to become mindful of my chewing, because I (almost) literally inhale it.

Making it is just so intuitive to me, I’d toss in ingredients by the handful and never really measured. But I finally got myself together and did it, because “2 handful of tomatoes, 4 handfuls of romaine…” is not going to cut it here. 😛

This salad keeps popping up as my lunch because…

a) it’s DELICIOUS and so satiating, I crave it every day

b) it’s whole food plant based and packed with protein, fiber, and fresh veggies

c) it’s the perfect way to use up garden tomatoes & chiles, and is so versatile with substitutions

d) it’s cheap & easy to keep the ingredients stocked all the time

I would even go so far as to say it’s my favorite salad of all time. My holy grail kale salad used to hold that title (which I’ll share in winter), but now this guy has stolen the crown.

My personal name for this? Sexmex salad. For lack of a better name 😉

Serves 1 if you’re like me, serves 2 for most people

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown rice or quinoa, uncooked
• 1/2 – 15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups chopped romaine hearts
• 1 diced green onion (~1 tbsp)
• 3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes (or chopped normal tomatoes)
• 1/2 chopped avocado
• 3 tbsp salsa
• Salt to taste
• Hot sauce to taste
• Optional: juice of 1/2 a lime, minced hot peppers

This salad is really versatile, so change things up to suit your tastes! Add more romaine for a lighter feel, add double (or triple) the avocado if you’re an avocado lover, or swap out the pintos for black beans. The world is your oyster.

Directions

1. Cook brown rice or quinoa according to directions.
2. Add cooked rice to a microwave-safe bowl along with pinto beans and salsa, and microwave until warm but not hot; about 1 minute.
3. To your salad bowl, add rice and beans, and add all the other ingredients (and lime if desired).
4. Toss and enjoy!

PS, I wrote this post while eating this salad 😉