Regional California-Style Salads: Cobb and Mexican-Inspired Chopped
Nothing says summertime quite like a bright, crisp, fresh salad ... and the West Coast has some of the best to offer! Since we haven't been able to travel this past year due to the pandemic, I'm bringing you two of my favorite West-Coast style salad recipes to enjoy at home!
Ingredients
VEGAN COBB SALAD:
- !Vegan Ranch Dressing:
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- ½ cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper plus more to taste
- !Tofu Scramble:
- 1 16-ounce block extra-firm tofu, drained
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan black salt aka kala namak (*see recipe notes)
- !Salad:
- 6 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce about 1 medium head
- 1 batch vegan ranch dressing recipe above
- 1 batch tofu scramble recipe above
- 1 cup NatureSweet Cherubs tomatoes
- 8 ounces vegan chick’n pieces cooked according to package directions
- ½ cup vegan-friendly bac’n pieces *see recipe notes
- 1 small RealSweet® Vidalia Onion thinly sliced
- 1 large Avocado From Mexico thinly sliced
MEXICAN-INSPIRED CHOPPED SALAD:
- !Cilantro-Lime Dressing:
- ½ packed cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- ¼ cup unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice about 1 small lime
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper plus more to taste
- !Salad:
- 6 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce about 1 medium head
- 1 batch cilantro-lime dressing recipe above
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups roasted corn kernels from about 2 ears of corn, or 1 (15-ounce) can can of corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 pint NatureSweet Cherubs tomatoes
- 1 small RealSweet® Vidalia Onion thinly sliced
- 1 large Avocado From Mexico thinly sliced
- 3-4 radishes thinly sliced
- Vegan ricotta or feta cheese such as Kite Hill or Violife
Instructions
VEGAN COBB SALAD:
- For the dressing, whisk together all its ingredients in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Set aside.
- For the tofu scramble, crumble the tofu into a bowl using your hands. Season it with the turmeric and pepper, tossing to coat. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tofu is warmed through and starts to brown, 7-10 minutes. Turn off the heat, season the tofu with the black salt, stirring to incorporate, and set aside to cool.
- To assemble the salad, toss the lettuce in a large bowl with two-thirds of the ranch dressing. Put the dressed greens in a large serving dish. Carefully spoon on the tofu scramble, tomatoes, chick’n and bac’n. Add the onions and avocado and serve with the remaining dressing on the side. ENJOY!
MEXICAN-INSPIRED CHOPPED SALAD:
- For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth, Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Set aside.
- To assemble the salad, toss the lettuce in a large bowl with two-thirds of the cilantro-lime dressing.
- Put the dressed greens in a large serving dish and top with the black beans, corn, tomatoes, onion, avocado and radish. Garnish with crumbled vegan cheese and serve alongside the remaining dressing. Enjoy!
Notes
*Kala namak is a highly sulfurous salt, which is going to give the tofu that “eggy” flavor. You can find it at many specialty Indian markets, or on amazon. If you’re unable to get black salt, you can substitute for regular sea salt.
*The easiest and most accessible vegan bac’n bits I am able to find are the McCormick Bac’n pieces (they’re accidentally-vegan!).
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!