Avocado Ranch Salad – a dairy free version!

Avocado Ranch Salad has been given a healthy makeover with the use of creamy antioxidant-rich avocados – you will be blown away with this dairy-free version. 

We have taken crunchy, colourful vegetables and smothered them in our mouth-watering dairy-free version of ranch dressing.

Some serving ideas

This is an excellent all-round salad that goes with just about anything from red meats, poultry, fish and seafood. Perfect as barbecue side as it pairs really well with barbecue meats. Try it with Mexican ribs, peri-peri chicken or vegan chilli.

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutions

• Romaine/cos lettuce this forms the crisp base to this colourful salad. You can swap it for iceberg lettuce, Chinese cabbage or even kale. 
• Cherry tomatoes were added for their sweet juicy flavour and a pop of colour. You can use any tomatoes that you have handy. For larger tomato varieties just chop them into a large dice.
• Bell pepper/capsicum for bright sunny colour and even more crunch and a massive dose of vitamin C. Use any colour pepper that takes your fancy.
• Avocado because I just love them! No seriously the healthy fats in the avocado make this salad so much more satisfying and will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
• Red onion for its bright crimson colour and sweet flavour which makes them ideal for salads.

You will need:

Make it a meal

Consider adding grilled chicken, flaked salmon, pulled pork or roasted chickpeas to make it a substantial meal. 

How to make it  

1 PREPARE THE VEGETABLES
Wash your lettuce either pat dry with a towel or use a salad spinner for extra dry leaves.
Cut off the lettuce core and remove any damaged outer leaves then shred. 
Wash the cherry tomatoes, pat dry then slice in half lengthwise.
Wash your capsicum/pepper and slice in half, remove the core and seeds, cut it in half again and slice into small 1 inch strips.
Remove the papery skin and tops and bottoms of your onion and slice into thin wedges.

2MAKE THE DRESSING
Wash your herbs, shake to remove excess water, pat dry and chop. Chop some extra chives into 1-inch strips to use as a garnish.
Add all dressing ingredients to a blender, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. 
Blitz to combine, taste and adjust seasonings according to your preferences.
Your dressing should be the consistency of mayonnaise, you can add some water to loosen if necessary.

3ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
Add all the salad ingredients to a mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Pour over your dressing and mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
Arrange in a salad bowl, with chopped chives and serve immediately.

WHAT TO DO WITH THE EXTRA DRESSING

This is enough dressing for two salads. I have changed the quantities in the nutritional panel to half which is what is used in this salad.

The leftover dressing will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge and is great to use as a dip or as an alternative dressing in our broccoli slaw or our gem lettuce salad.

Can I make it ahead?

• To make this salad ahead chop the vegetables (not the avocado) and keep covered and chilled in your fridge until you are ready to assemble it.
• Dice the avocado and dowse it in lemon juice to prevent browning, alternatively, you may like to dice just before assembling the salad.
• The dressing can be made only 1-2 days in advance because we are using fresh, healthy ingredients; it won’t last more than that! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Can I meal prep for weekday lunches?

• To meal prep, this salad, chop your vegetables (not the avocado) and portion into individual containers. 
• Dice your avocado and dowse in lemon juice and place on top.
• Make your dressing and keep it individual containers to add to your salad just before eating

What about the leftovers?

Once dressed you should really eat this salad pretty soon after you make it. The salad can still be eaten the following day but it will lose its crispness your avocado may discolour. However, if you keep the dressing separate it may last a day or so.

Avocado Ranch Salad

Avocado Ranch Salad has been given a healthy makeover with the use of creamy antioxidant-rich avocados – you will be blown away with this dairy-free version. 

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

(Times are an estimate and will depend on your skill level)

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American, Australian

Keyword: dairy-free, Easy, gluten free, keto, low carb, nut free, paleo, whole30

Servings: 6 as a side

Calories: 250kcal

Equipment

• small food processor or bullet blender
• Salad Spinner

Ingredients

For the salad

• ½ head romaine/ cos lettuce (3 cups shredded – 120 grams)
• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes (250 grams)
• 1 medium red bell pepper/capsicum (approximately 150 grams)
• 1 small red onion (approximaely 60 grams)
• 1 medium avocado (approximately 200 grams)

For the avocado ranch dressing*

• 2 medium avocados, ripe (approximately 400 grams)
• ½ cup coconut yogurt
• ¼ cup lemon juice Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tbsps Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsps fresh parsley leaves chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh chives chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill chopped
• 2 tsp Cajun spice mix
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper
• Water to loosen if it is too thick

Metric – Imperial

Instructions

• Wash your lettuce and trim your lettuce then either pat dry with a towel or use a salad spinner for extra dry leaves.
• Wash dry and trim the rest of your vegetables.
• Slice cherry tomatoes in half lengthwise. Slice capsicum into 1-inch strips and your onion into thin wedges.
• Wash your herbs, shake to remove excess water, pat dry and chop. Chop some extra chives into 1-inch strips to use as a garnish.
• Add all dressing ingredients to a blender, season and blitz to combine, taste and adjust seasonings according to your preferences.
• Your dressing should be the consistency of mayonnaise, you can add some water to loosen if necessary.
• Add all the salad ingredients to a mixing bowl, season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Pour over your dressing and mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings according to your personal preferences.
• Arrange in a salad bowl, with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Video

Notes

*This is enough dressing for two salads. I have changed the quantities in the nutritional panel to half which is what is used in this salad. The leftover dressing will keep for 1-2 days in the fridge and is great to use as a dip or as an alternative dressing in our broccoli slaw or our gem lettuce salad.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

Nutrition Facts

Avocado Ranch Salad

Amount Per Serving

Calories 250 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Sodium 39mg2%

Potassium 845mg24%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Fiber 10g42%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 8278IU166%

Vitamin C 58mg70%

Calcium 44mg4%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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