This post is sponsored by NatureSweet® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
This easy vegan taco salad is one of my favorite salads to make! I am taking you on a little recipe road trip today to Florida! I live very close to Miami and I am always so inspired by the culture and food there. I wanted to make a salad with some of the flavors and seasonings from one of my favorite Mexican restaurants there. This vegan taco salad is absolutely delicious, easy to make, plant-based, gluten-free and beyond healthy! It’s packed with plant-based protein and fiber.
What ingredients do you need?
For this recipe you need Avocados From Mexico, NatureSweet® Cherub® tomatoes, RealSweet® Vidalia® onions, lentils, cashews for the vegan sour cream, cilantro, lime, fresh corn, and brown rice. This takes less than 20 minutes to whip up because the ingredients are so simple!
How do you make this easy vegan taco salad?
First, you’ll need to shred some romaine lettuce and then add it to your bowl as the base of your crunchy salad. Next, make the lentil taco meat by sautéing cooked brown lentils with chili, garlic, salt, pepper, salsa, smoked paprika, and cumin (or your fave taco seasoning mix). While that cooks, make some rice of your choice, I use a brown rice medley. Next, make the cashew sour cream! It gets whipped up in the blender very quickly – or use your favorite vegan sour cream.
Steam the corn and add that on top, then add on the juicy Cherubs® tomatoes, Avocados From Mexico (whole, sliced or mashed), chopped RealSweet® Vidalia® sweet onions, lime juice, salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Will my non-vegan family and friends enjoy this recipe?
Absolutely! This delicious Mexican inspired taco salad is a total crowd pleaser. Everyone I have ever made this for raves about it and can’t believe it’s 100% plant-based. The lentil taco meat replaces ground beef because lentils are super meaty, the fresh tomatoes make it juicy and flavorful, the cilantro add a freshness, the Vidalia® onions pair perfectly with the creamy ripe avocado, and the rice add the best kind of starch to this taco salad. Of course, you can’t forget the amazing vegan sour cream made from cashews! No one can tell it’s dairy-free.
A few important tips:
- To make this extra yummy, chill the sour cream in the fridge for a few hours before serving!
- Make a batch of rice ahead of time so you can make this salad all week long.
- Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge.
- Flavor this salad with lime juice as the dressing – it’s the best!
- You don’t need to cook the Vidalia® onions for this salad unless you want to! They are delicious raw.
What makes this salad healthier than other taco salads?
This salad has no animal products and is dairy-free, meat-free, low fat, high-fiber, high protein and gluten-free! This taco salad is a healthier version of your classic taco salad. It won’t spike cholesterol, it will aid in digestion due to the fiber content, it supports heart health because it’s packed with antioxidants, it won’t contribute to inflammation because it has dairy-free sour cream and because it’s gluten-free. I use brown rice instead of white rice to make this healthier as well!
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Easy Vegan Taco Salad
the ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 cup steamed corn off the cob
- 1 cup cherub grape tomatoes I use NatureSweet
- 1 cubed avocado I use avocados from Mexico
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 cup diced sweet vidalia onion I use RealSweet vidalia onions
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 lime garnish and to squeeze on top
Cashew Sour Cream
- 1.5 cups cashews
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Lentil Taco Meat
- 1.5 cups cooked brown lentils or black beans
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
instructions
Salad
- Chop romaine lettuce and add to bowl. Then top with tomatoes, steamed corn, avocado, and diced onion. Add on the lentil taco meat when it's done cooking. Add cooked brown rice.
- Top with cashew sour cream, cilantro and lime juice! Drizzle on a little avocado oil if you want.
Lentil Taco Meat
- Cook lentils according to package then saute on medium heat in spices and salsa for 5-10 minutes until heated through.
Cashew Sour Cream
- Blend all ingredients in food processor or a high speed blender until smooth.
Made with love,
Danielle
It sounds delicious. I’ll try this out over the weekends. Thank you so much! I hope my wife will like the taste.
I just made this for dinner!! It was absolutely delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
I was wondering how many servings your recipes typically serve? I don’t see it on any of your ingredient lists
What is the brand name of the bowls you use?
I wasn’t expecting this to be so yummy. 5 Stars! Thank you so much for sharing!