Inspired by a salad from a local restaurant, this Honcho Chop Salad wins the award for most toppings! Toss chopped lettuce with black beans, charred corn, chopped carrots, grilled onion, tomato, radish and spiced pepitas. Drizzle the salad with a simple and flavorful cilantro lime vinaigrette.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I love a salad that is loaded with add-ins. Toppings galore that end up perfectly dressed in vinaigrette at the bottom of my bowl is what I live for. This honcho chop salad is the perfect example of what I love.
Inspired by a salad from a local tex-mex restaurant nearby. In it, chopped romaine is topped with black beans, grilled red onion, charred corn, chopped carrot, quinoa and tomatoes. But the spiced pepitas, which only take minutes to make, add crunch and flavor. Then the whole salad is drizzled in a simple and ridiculously delicious cilantro lime vinaigrette which turns this into one amazing salad.
This salad is bright, colorful and flavorful salad that yields 4 generous portions that will no doubt satisfy you. Add chicken for extra protein and avocado because they’re ripe and not solid rocks sitting on your counter. #storyofmylife 🙄
This salad isn’t as simple as chopping up raw vegetables and adding them to a bowl. There is a little bit of prep work, however you could do most of it in advance.
To Make This Honcho Chopped Salad You Need:
- red leaf and romaine lettuce
- charred sweet corn
- cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
- chopped carrot
- diced tomato
- red onion, sliced and grilled
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 6 radishes sliced thin
- spiced pepitas
- cilantro lime vinaigrette (recipe to come).
For the spiced pepitas:
In a 10-inch skillet toss 3/4 cup of pepitas with the juice of 1/2 a lime, 1-1/2 teaspoons Mexicali seasoning and a few pinches of kosher salt. Next heat the skillet on medium. Stir occasionally until the pepitas are toasted. About 4 to 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, grill onion slices and roughly chop,and char 1-1/2 cups of corn in a small, dry cast iron or nonstick skillet.
To Make The Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette You Will Need:
- a 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- 2-1/2 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 large lime)
- 1/2 to 1 small clove of garlic (grated or finely minced)
- a 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon each of ground coriander, cumin and onion powder
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Whisk to combine and season with a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. This is a small batch recipe, because a little goes a long way, and also after 1 day the cilantro will discolor. Consider doubling as needed for this recipe.
To serve; add the chopped lettuce into bowls and top with all the toppings.
Next, sprinkle with the a few tablespoons of the spiced pepitas and then drizzle the salad with few spoonfuls fo the vinaigrette.
A little of the dressing goes a long way, so use it sparingly.
Lastly, toss to combine and sprinkle with queso fresco (optional) and a few extra cilantro leaves. If you have avocado, use it! Of course, my avos were still pretty rock hard so I couldn’t. However that didn’t take away from this amazing salad. Also consider adding sliced grilled chicken or shrimp is equally delicious for some added protein.
From the dressing to the spiced pepitas and all those veggies, this salad will knock your socks off.
Enjoy! And if you give this Honcho Chopped Salad recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Inspired by a salad from a local restaurant, this Honcho Chop Salad wins the award for most toppings! Toss chopped lettuce with black beans, charred corn, chopped carrots, grilled onion, tomato, radish and spiced pepitas. Drizzle the salad with a simple and flavorful cilantro lime vinaigrette. FOR THE CILANTRO LIME VINAIGRETTE: FOR THE SPICED PEPITAS: FOR THE SALAD: Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
Honcho Chop Salad
Ingredients
CILANTRO LIME VINAIGRETTE:
SPICED PEPITAS:
HONCHO CHOP SALAD:
Instructions
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4
Serving Size:
1 salad
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 455Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 491mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 13gSugar: 17gProtein: 19g
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I love Honcho! I can’t wait to compare yours. Now…If you could only replicate the Mac N Cheese.
HA! That will be a tough one 😉