For those of you that follow me on Instagram you know that I’m a sweetgreen nut – I can never resist their great big, delicious salads for too long.
That said, eating there too frequently can definitely start to take a toll on the ol’ wallet – which being in grad school already does quite well – so I figured it was high time to start testing recipes to recreate some of my favorite sweetgreen salads – starting with one of the best: the guacamole greens (affectionately known as the “guac greens” by the uber friendly staff there).
I can’t go as far as to call this a “copy cat” recipe because it’s really not exactly the same as theirs…theirs would be more aptly called the inspiration behind this salad.
Being a dietitian in the making – I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to load mine up with a few more veggies than they do theirs which not only makes it more colorful but more flavorful in my opinion.
It’s like a mexican bowl, but better because it makes you feel satisfied but not weighed down (my favorite kind of meals).
You can add shrimp, tofu, chickpeas or grilled chicken for your protein source – all would pair perfectly with the existing flavors in the salad.
Plus, it essentially provides a daily dose of vegetables so you’re free to eat pizza for dinner without worrying about that pesky side salad. If that’s not motivation to make this, I don’t know what is!
Ingredients
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 1/4 avocado, diced
- 1/3 cup sautéed corn, cooled*
- 2-3 tablespoons diced red onions
- 1/4 cup cucumbers, peeled, de-seeded and sliced
- handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons crushed corn tortilla chips
- generous squeeze of fresh lime <— the secret ingredient that makes this salad so amazing!
- balsamic vinaigrette (or dressing of choice) to taste
Instructions
- lay mixed greens in the bowl
- prepare corn according to note below
- layer on cooled corn, diced avocado, cucumber, onion and tomato halves
- squeeze fresh lime juice over the salad, distributing evenly
- add crushed tortilla chips
- top with dressing of choice
- * for the corn: i sautéed frozen corn in a non-stick pan with salt and pepper then allowed it to cool before topping the salad with it
Kelsey says
This looks so delicious Cait! Glad you’re back and posting recipes again 🙂
Cait says
I’m so glad you think so – I HIGHLY recommend it! And thank you! It feels good to have the time to be back at it 🙂
Marisa @ Uproot from Oregon says
Love love love this salad. I have a version on my blog as well, including the cilantro lime vinaigrette, but now I think I need to load mine up with all your beautiful veggies! LOVE that you added corn- it’s so sweet and juicy right now!
Cait says
I checked yours out after you mentioned it on instagram – it looks amazing! Definitely try it with the added veggies – I’m going to have to try it with the cilantro lime vinaigrette next time!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
This sounds amazing and I am thinking that it would be perfect with grilled sweet corn!
Cait says
It definitely would!!