This Tex-Mex salad features a zingy lime-based dressing, paired with crisp romaine lettuce and cooked chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans).
Since Tex-Mex style salads are traditionally made with black beans, I decided to add a jazzy twist, by substituting black bean tortilla chips as a festive garnish. The chips provide a pleasing crunch, flavor and texture, adding a wow factor to this satisfying salad.
Recipe by Laura Theodore, from Jazzy Vegetarian’s Deliciously Vegan. Published by Scribe Publishing Company ©2018, reprinted by permission.
Laura Theodore’s Tex-Mex Salad Bowl

This Tex-Mex style salad features a zingy lime-based dressing, paired with crisp romaine lettuce and cooked chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans).
Ingredients
- 8 cups loosely packed baby romaine or chopped romaine lettuce
- 20 black bean tortilla chips
- 14 grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed, if canned
- Kernels from 1 large ear of corn, cooked (or 3/4 cup thawed frozen or canned corn kernels, drained)
- 1/2 cup seeded and chopped orange or red sweet bell pepper
- 4 green queen olives with pimento, sliced
- 1/2 large avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
Sweet and Spicy Lime Dressing
- 2 1/2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/16 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- For each salad, put 4 cups of lettuce into a large bowl.
- Arrange 10 tortilla chips around the circumference of the bowl.
- Arrange 7 tomato halves on top of the lettuce.
- Top with one-half of the chickpeas, corn kernels and sweet peppers.
- Sprinkle one-half of the olives over the salad and arrange one-half of the avocado slices on top in a pleasing manner.
- Put all of the dressing ingredients into a small bowl and briskly whisk until smooth (see note). Drizzle one-half of the dressing over the salad. Repeat with the second salad, and serve.
Listen to Laura’s weekly podcast on Unity Radio every Thursday at 3pm EST. Tune in for Season Eight of Laura’s vegan television show, Jazzy Vegetarian, airing nationally on many public television channels (check local listings). Visit Laura at Jazzy Vegetarian.
Jazzy Vegetarian’s Deliciously Vegan* by Laura Theodore is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold
If you like this southwestern-flavored salad, you may also enjoy …
Hot and Cool Layered Black Bean Taco Salad
See lots more easy vegan recipes and salads & sides
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