Mexican Salad Bowl

Savory black beans & rice, topped with a huge salad with salsa is one of my FAVORITE vegan meals. It's one huge Mexican Salad Bowl!

Mexican Restaurants are usually a good bet if you're looking for compliant places to eat when you're out and about, and Amelia's in downtown Hillsboro, OR is no exception.

They actually have a Vegan & Vegetarian Menu with several tasty options, including this salad they list on their menu as "BOWL".

You get a huge wooden salad bowl with layers of savory, black beans and rice on the bottom, with the rest filled with fresh lettuce, radish slices, cabbage, guacamole, and a spicy tomato ranchero sauce for the dressing.

It's so delicious I decided to make my own version here for you.

Not only is it EASY and FAST to make, you know exactly what you are getting - real food that is good for you and tasted delicious.

Enjoy.

Mexican Salad Bowl

Rice

Choose your favorite type of rice and get it started first.

My wife & grandson will only eat white rice, so that is what I used - cooked in my old but trusty Black & Decker rice cooker.

I used 2 cups of dry rice and it yielded about 3-4 servings when cooked.

Beans

Again, you can use whatever type of beans you have handy, but I chose 2 cans of black beans (15oz each), rinsed and drained, mainly for convenience. If you want to cook your own dried beans from scratch - by all means do that.

In a skillet, I diced about ½ cup of red onion and started sauteeing that in a little veg broth. When the onions were soft I added 2 cloves of minced garlic and a few teaspoons of chopped green chile. You could also use jalapeno, or leave the peppers out completely, the goal here is just to flavor the beans a little.

I then added one can of the beans, and then I gently mashed them to a chunky, refried beans consistency. I had to add a little vegetable broth because my pan looked a little dry. Then I added the 2nd can of beans and mixed well. I ended up using about ¼ cup of veggie broth to give it a creamy consistency.

Season to taste and now let's prepare the salad.

Salad

Choose whatever type of salad greens you like. I used red leaf lettuce, some baby romaine, and a little cabbage.

I also tried out my new Holland Mill chopping bowl and knife I ordered last fall. They are a bit spendy, but they are of excellent quality and are guaranteed for life, and they made chopping the greens a breeze!

This is not sponsored, I bought my own, and I am not an affiliate, I just like their product, oh and that knife? Be careful, it's sharp!

Garnish

For those final touches on your salad, choose whatever garnishes you like. I chose sliced radish, a little chopped cabbage, red onion slices, cherry tomatoes, lime wedges, and my creamy Vegan Guacamole.

Dressing

As for the dressing, again use whatever you like. I really like the Ranchero Sauce they have at the restaurant and I even made a recipe for it, but this time I just used my favorite salsa. You could also use my red chile sauce, or whatever you like!

Plating

To assemble your Mexican Salad Bowl, add a layer of the beans to the bottom of a large salad bowl, and top that with a layer of rice. Then add your salad greens, top with your garnishes, and with your dressing on the side.

Deeeeelish!

Enjoy the salad and I'll see you next time.

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