Layered Mexican Salad (raw and vegan)

I’m excited about this new recipe. Crunchy, creamy and incredibly flavorful, this wonderful salad features the best of summer’s vegetables. Sweet corn, ripe tomatoes (preferably heirloom) and avocados parter with crisp jicama, lettuce and a zesty cilantro vinaigrette. Cashew-based sour cream brings it all together.

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients. This salad can be assembled start to finish in 45 minutes and it makes a hearty dish. I made it for a huge potluck and everyone LOVED it.

Enjoy!

Diced jicama with red bell pepper, lime juice, cilantro, green onions and more

Ripe, juicy tomatoes with green onion, chilis, lime juice and seasonings. If you have heirloom tomatoes, that’s even better. 

Creamy ripe avocados are one of my favorite foods on earth.

Blend cashews with lemon juice, water and more to make a “sour cream”

Layer all the components and pour the vinaigrette over everything.

Mexican Layered Salad

Corn Jicama Layer
Kernels cut from 2 ears fresh organic corn
1 cup peeled jicama, cut into ¼-inch dice
½ red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 green onion, sliced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients and allow to marinate while making the remaining salad components.

Tomatoes
1 large heirloom tomato or 2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 green onion, sliced
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients and allow to marinate while making the remaining salad components.

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados (ripe avos should be firm but yield to gentle pressure)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely diced jalapeno pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon garlic salt
Place all ingredients in a bowl and lightly mash with a fork, leaving it slightly chunky.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons agave nectar or xylitol
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Pour dressing into a container and do not rinse blender.

Cashew Sour Cream
1 cup raw cashews
½ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon salt
Place all ingredients into blender you just used to make the dressing and blend into a very smooth cream.

Additional Ingredients
4 cups chopped lettuce leaves
Tortilla chips

Layer components in large glass serving bowl, or individual glass dishes: tomatoes on bottom, topped with guacamole, cashew sour cream, lettuce, and finally the corn-jicama salad. Drizzle Cilantro Lime Dressing over the top. Serve accompanied with tortilla chips. Serves 4.

If you don’t want the salad layered, just make all the components, toss them in a bowl together, then mix the cashew sour cream and vinaigrette together before drizzling it over the salad.