Make a simple Mexican salad to accompany your Mexican-themed dinner without many ingredients. With a tasty cilantro lime dressing, this Mexican salad recipe is perfect for bringing to a party or complementing any Mexican dinner.
Recently, I hosted a Mexican-themed dinner party, and I needed a simple Mexican salad to serve with dinner. Sometimes, I make an entree-type salad with so many ingredients; it takes away from the meal's intention. That is why I made an easy Mexican salad recipe, keeping in theme with my dinner plans.
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As far as salad is concerned, I am an expert. I serve salad with every meal because I believe in eating various vegetables, colors, and nutrient-dense foods for optimal health.
Eating greens and vegetables fill us up and allow us to enjoy smaller portions of other foods without overindulging. Therefore, I eat a ton of salad before my main meal, and I get fuller faster.
Of course, oil-free dressing is yet another one of my specialties. Unfortunately, many people must consider the ingredients or dressing when thinking about healthy salads. In other words, don't waste calories on fattening, processed dressings when the oil-free, homemade versions taste fabulous with little to no calories.
How to make a simple salad for a themed dinner
As I said before, when I prepare a big family dinner or a party, I used to make way too much food. Despite loving leftovers, once the dust clears and the kids go back to their respective homes, I'm left with too much food. But how do you keep it in the theme of dinner? It's easier than you think. Yes, the serving plate helps, but it's really about the salad ingredients as well as the dressing.
Mexican Salad Ingredients
- Romaine Lettuce: Romaine is packed with nutrients, including vitamins A and C, and reasonable amounts of folic acid and magnesium. The darker green leafy parts provide more nutritional value than the crunchy white centers, but they all provide fiber in a healthy diet.
- Baby Bell Peppers: I love baby bell peppers because of their sweet taste and vibrant colors.
- Radishes: When eaten raw, radishes are spicy, crisp, and zesty. Varieties can range from very spicy (similar to the heat of raw garlic) to very mild – for example; Daikon radishes are milder than red radishes
- Grape Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are sweet and contain very few seeds. They are sturdy and the perfect size to add to salads.
- Red Onion: Red onion is sweet and tangy in this Mexican salad recipe.
- Cucumbers: I prefer English or Persian cucumbers because they have fewer seeds than regular cucumbers.
- Cilantro: Cilantro is said to have a fresh, citrusy, and/or soapy taste — depending on who you ask — and is also called Chinese parsley. On the other hand, its seeds are often referred to as coriander, a nutty- and spicy-tasting spice.
- Lime Wedges: Lime wedges on the salad are beautiful but also provide an additional squeeze of lime for those who enjoy more citrus.
- Avocado: The avocado is creamy, buttery, and slightly nutty, with earthy grassy undertones.
Mexican Salad Ingredient Substitutions
- Choose any combination of greens.
- Red bell peppers or green peppers work well with this salad recipe.
- Turnips are a natural substitute for radishes.
- Cherry tomatoes or snacking tomatoes are similar to grape tomatoes.
- Yellow or white onion is an excellent substitute for red onions.
- Removing the seeds keeps the salad crispy for longer if using regular cucumbers.
- If you taste soap when you eat cilantro, substitute basil or parsley.
- Nuts such as pecans are often substituted for avocado in recipes.
One of the beautiful things about preparing a salad for a big dinner is preparing it ahead of time. As long as you don't dress it, or add ingredients, like avocados, that brown quickly, prepping a salad a day or two before dinner helps with food preparation.
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Avocado: The avocado gives the dressing a creamy, buttery taste.
- Fresh Cilantro: Cilantro flavors the dressing, giving it a citrusy, herbal taste.
- Garlic: For the best flavor, use fresh garlic cloves.
- Lime Juice: I prefer fresh lime juice whenever possible. To add more lime flavor, zest the lime as well.
- Maple Syrup: Maple syrup is a wonderful way to sweeten dressings without using sugar.
- Coriander: The coriander leaves should taste refreshing, tart, and citrusy. Coriander seeds are the plant's dried fruit, which can be used whole or ground. Its flavor is earthy, tart, and sweet, with a floral aroma that releases when toasted.
- Salt: A little salt enhances the dressing ingredients.
- Water:The water thins the dressing
Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Unsweetened, plain vegan yogurt substitutes the avocado in this salad dressing recipe.
- Skip the cilantro or substitute basil or parsley.
- Use just ⅛ teaspoon of garlic powder in place of each clove.
- Try bottled lime juice if fresh lime juice isn't available.
- Date syrup is an excellent substitute for maple syrup.
- Substitute cumin for coriander.
Serving Suggestions
Although this Mexican salad recipe is filling as an entree salad, more often than not, I serve it as a side salad with vegan enchiladas, enchilada casserole, or vegan tortilla soup.
Recipe FAQs
Due to the ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C) found in lemon or lime juice, adding citrus to an opened avocado helps create a barrier against oxygen that reduces oxidation. As the oxygen reacts with the acid in the juice, it slows down the chemical reaction and prevents browning for a few days.
With its rich, nutty flavor, avocado isn't as sweet as other fruits, but its flexibility in all sorts of dishes makes it a pretty unusual vegetable too. After all, even though it's a fruit, you wouldn't put it in a fruit salad alongside melons and oranges.
The taste of avocado is relatively difficult to describe. Most people would say that avocados are buttery and nutty, and I also think that the flavor is somewhat reminiscent of grass, but in a good way. It's definitely an earthy flavor, and ripe avocados often taste quite rich, too.
Tips
- Do not add the avocado to the salad until before serving to prevent it from turning brown.
- Or skip the avocado and the yogurt. The remaining ingredients make a fabulous dressing.
- I used a crinkle cutter to make my cut vegetables prettier.
- Prepare the salad 1-2 days before to help with food preparation.
- Add lime zest to the dressing for a more profound lime flavor.
- If you don't like cilantro, skip it or substitute basil or parsley.
- Use plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt instead of the avocado for a quick and easy substitution.
So, the next time you want to add a fun salad to your Mexican fiesta that is easy, try this simple Mexican salad recipe.
More Great Mexican Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Mexican Salad
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- 1 avocado pitted (or ½ cup plain unsweetened vegan yogurt)
- 1 cups fresh cilantro
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup water
Salad Ingredients
- 1 head Romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 red onion cut into slivers
- 1 English cucumber cut in slices and quartered
- 1- pint grape tomatoes cut in half
- 8 radishes sliced thin
- 1 cup baby bell peppers cut into rings, or one red bell pepper, diced
- 1 avocado sliced
- 2 limes cut into wedges
- 2 jalapenos deseeded sliced (optional)
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Dressing
- Choose avocado, vegan yogurt, or NOTHING. The dressing is good regardless of your choice or if you leave the avocado or yogurt out.
- Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
Preparing the salad
- Place the cut Romaine lettuce on the base of the platter or bowl
- Then mix in the cilantro as if it were lettuce instead of a garnish.
- Place the cut vegetables around the salad so they are evenly distributed in colors and surfaces.
- Place lime wedges around the edges for additional lime if wanted and for color.
- Do not add the avocado until right before serving.
- Serve the dressing on the side or drizzle over the salad before serving.
Notes
- Do not add the avocado to the salad until before serving to prevent it from turning brown.
- I used a crinkle cutter to make my cut vegetables prettier.
- Prepare the salad 1-2 days before to help with food preparation.
- Add lime zest to the dressing for a more profound lime flavor.
- If you don't like cilantro, skip it or substitute basil or parsley.
- Use plain, unsweetened vegan yogurt instead of the avocado for a quick and easy substitution.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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