Santa Fe Salad (gluten-free, contains dairy)

One of my favorite salads…the Santa Fe Salad at the Cheesecake Factory (minus the chicken of course). I decided to try and replicate it for our holiday party this year. I found many different websites trying to replicate the salad dressing. This recipe was adapted from cdkitchen. I felt like the original recipe was missing some flavor so I decided to add some peanut butter and a little more agave nectar. I also topped the salad with some freshly fried corn tortilla strips to add some texture.

The end result was pretty close to the original salad I love at Cheesecake Factory, and more importantly, absolutely delicious! It’s a great feeling when you can recreate some of your favorite restaurant recipes at home!

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Santa Fe Salad

This salad is very filling and one of my favorite combination of ingredients, topped with a creamy herb-filled slightly nutty dressing! Easy to make, filling, and healthy!

Author: Anjali Lalani

INGREDIENTS

For the Salad (The amount of ingredients will depends on how many people you have and how much salad you tend on serving them):

• romaine lettuce or mixed greens , slivered
• corn kernels , frozen (defrosted) or fresh
• black beans , canned and rinsed
• tomatoes , chopped
• red and/or green bell peppers , sliced and halved once
• freshly fried corn tortilla strips , or crushed store-bought tortilla chips
• avocado , diced

For the Dressing:

• 3 cloves fresh garlic crushed
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
• 2 tbsp cilantro stems trimmed, rinsed well
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teasp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teasp ground cumin
• 3/4 teasp salt
• 1/2 teasp freshly grounded pepper
• 1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese , such as Violife or Follow Your Heart (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp peanut butter , smooth
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1/4 cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

To Make the Dressing:

• Add the cilantro, crushed garlic, minced ginger, spices, lime juice, vinegar, maple syrup, and vegan parmesan cheese (if using) into a food processor or blender.
• Process until well mixed.
• Add the peanut butter and process until mixed well.
• While the motor is running, slowly pour the oil through the feed tube. Let it process for 1 more minute.
• If you find yourself looking for more of the peanut taste, feel free to add more peanut butter. Also, depending on how sour your limes are, feel free to add more/less honey (as mine were pretty sour).

To Make the Salad:

• Cut corn tortilla rounds into small strips and fry (or crush up some store-bought tortilla chips)
• Toss all ingredients of the salad in a large bowl except avocado and fried tortilla strips.
• Top the salad with avocado and fried tortilla strips.
• Toss with the dressing and enjoy!

NOTES

Dressing recipe makes about 1 pint of dressing.

 

Make-Ahead Tip - Prep the dressing ahead of time, mix all the salad ingredients together. Then toss when ready to serve. 

Did you Make this Recipe ?Mention @VegetarianGastronomy or tag #vegetariangastronomy!

~ Anjali