Southwestern Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

Make a big batch of this Southwestern Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing and take it to lunch with you all week. It’s healthy, super delicious, and great for lunch or dinner. It will fill you up with protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals.

I told you guys last week that I had a problem where I just couldn’t stop loading my salads with toppings, and apparently I’m not cured yet.  This salad might have the most toppings yet, but that’s what makes it a Power Salad.  

Are you guys still sticking to your New Year’s resolutions?  I think I’ve read that most people only stick to them for about two weeks, but hopefully you aren’t like most people!  I didn’t really make any resolutions this year, but I’m on a never-ending quest to eat healthier and do a bit more meal planning.  This Southwestern Power Salad is really great for both those resolutions!

An Ode to the Grocery Store

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m obsessed with the grocery store. Sometimes, I go there when I’m bored and spend way too long going up and down each aisle. I like to tell myself that it helps Eli fall asleep, but really, it’s just for my benefit. I’m also pretty picky about the grocery stores I spend my time in. They need to have nice checkers who are quick (just in case Eli is fussy), they must be clean (because who wants to buy their food in a dirty place?), and they should offer a wide variety of healthy and fresh, whole food products.

For those reasons, I love shopping at my neighborhood Fry’s store, which carries Kroger’s products.  If I’m planning on making a big meal that requires lots of fresh products, I always know that they will have the best to choose from.  And, if they’re not on the shelf, the staff is always more than happy to go back and retrieve them (trust me, I’ve asked before!).

They also carry a wide selection of Silk and So Delicious Products, which I purchase regularly.  Not only do I enjoy eating a vegetarian diet, but I also like to do mostly plant-based meals.  I’m a sucker for a good creamy dressing, but I don’t usually like to load them with mayo, so I have lots of fun making my own out of plant-based ingredients, like cashews.  To make the dressing even creamier, I used Silk’s Cashew Milk, and it paired perfectly with the raw cashews.  I flavored it with some cilantro and lime, and it turned into a truly amazing, creamy, and flavorful dressing.  I might have used it to dip a bunch of chips in and top some tacos with 🙂

Southwestern Power Salad Recipe Ingredients

• Vegetables – For this salad, I used greens (half curly kale, half romaine lettuce), sweet potato, avocado, diced tomatoes, a can of sweet corn (drained and rinsed; I used Simple Truth), and chopped red onion.
• Beans – I used a 15-ounce can of Simple Truth black beans, drained and rinsed.
• Roasted pepitas
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing – I made this dressing with raw cashews, which I soaked overnight and boiled for 30 minutes, unsweetened cashew milk, lime juice and zest, cilantro, minced garlic, nutritional yeast, ground cumin, and salt.

How to Make This Loaded Power Salad

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. On a large baking sheet, toss together the sweet potato, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the sweet potato until it is fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Add all dressing ingredients to a powerful blender and blend until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Set aside until needed.
3. In a large bowl, mix the greens, sweet potato, and remaining salad ingredients. Serve salad and dress each serving individually.

Recipe Tips and Thoughts

• This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.
• If making it in advance for lunches all week, leave out the avocado until the day you plan to eat it.
• The dressing will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 6 days in an air-tight container.

Have a question about this recipe? Ask me in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Looking For More Loaded Salad Recipes?

Loaded Lentil Salad

Loaded Quinoa and Sweet Potato Salad

Chopped Kale Power Salad with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Asian Kale Power Salad

Loaded Summer Vegetable Salad with Black Beans

Southwestern Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing

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5 from 3 reviews

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4-6

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Ingredients

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• 7-8 cups greens, I used 1/2 curly kale and 1/2 romaine lettuce
• 1 large sweet potato, diced
• 1 (15 ounce) can Simple Truth black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can Simple Truth sweet corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 large avocado, diced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup roasted peptias
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing:

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight or boiled for 30 minutes
• 1 cup Silk Unsweetened Cashew Milk
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 small bunch cilantro, about 3/4 cups
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/4 tsp salt

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. On a large baking sheet toss together the sweet potato, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast sweet potato until fork tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Add all dressing ingredients into a powerful blender and blend until creamy, 1-2 minutes. Set aside until needed.
3. In a large bowl mix together the greens, sweet potato and remaining salad ingredients. Serve salad and dress each serving individually.

Notes

If making ahead for lunches all week, leave out the avocado until day of eating.
Dressing will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 6 days in an air tight container.

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Salad, Gluten Free, Vegan

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of WhiteWave Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.