BLACK BEAN, BROCCOLI & AVOCADO SALAD

Black Bean, Broccoli & Avocado Salad features steamed broccoli, protein rich black beans and creamy avocado over cool, crisp romaine and topped with a creamy tahini dressing makes for a perfect lunch or dinner salad!

This Black Bean, Broccoli & Avocado Salad features steamed broccoli, protein rich black beans and creamy avocado over cool, crisp romaine and topped with a creamy cumin-lime tahini dressing. It’s easy to throw together, full of great flavor and texture, and is a great lunch or dinner salad that’s nutrient dense and will fill you up perfectly!

The inspiration for this delicious Black Bean, Broccoli & Avocado Salad came about by a recent visit to El Pollo Loco, a local fast food chain. I’m the only vegan in the house and can usually find suitable meals for myself when dining out.

Fast food is a little more difficult than sit down dining, but I can rework a menu item most of the time. In this case, I ordered their Avocado Salad, omitting the cheese and replacing the chicken with extra black beans (it already came with some).

Instead of using their dairy based creamy cilantro dressing, I ordered a couple extra sides of pico de gallo and had myself a great meal. I enjoyed the salad enough that I wanted to recreate it at home using a creamy cumin-lime tahini dressing and it’s really quite wonderful!

How To Make Black Bean, Broccoli & Avocado Salad

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 2 romaine hearts
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans or 1 1/2 cups Instant Pot Black Beans
• 1 1/4 cup broccoli florets
• 1 avocado
• 1/3 cup pico de gallo
• cilantro sprigs
• 1 jalapeno or serrano chili

Cumin-Lime Tahini Dressing

• 3 heaping tablespoons tahini
• 1/3 cup water
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro

Suggestions & Variations

• I used my beans at room temperature but you can heat them if you prefer.
• This salad is a great place to add a sprinkle of seeds. Try using pepito’s (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds or hemp hearts.
• If you don’t have tahini on hand, try using extra pico de gallo and a squeeze of lime. I find it works great! You may even opt to use a dollop of hummus.
• Use spinach or any leafy green of choice.

Put it all together:

1. Steam your broccoli just until al dente and bright green using a bamboo steamer, double broiler or preferred method.
2. Add romaine to your serving dishes, top with black beans, broccoli, avocado, pico de gallo, a few sprigs cilantro and slices of chili peppers. Top with dressing and enjoy!

A simple, delicious, and nutrient dense salad for a healthy lunch, dinner, or make ahead meal!

If you try this easy black bean salad recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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