Vegan Cobb Salad

Ingredients:

• 12 cups baby spinach, spring mix or chopped romaine
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas, about 2 15 oz cans
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 large cucumber, sliced or chopped
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup corn
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 6 slices cooked tempeh bacon, sliced
• 1 –2 avocados, sliced
• 1/2 cup dairy-free cheese, optional
• Fresh dill, optional

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

1. Make dressing: Make the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a small bowl or glass jar.
2. Cook tempeh bacon: Cook tempeh bacon following my homemade recipe or according to package instructions, if you haven’t already.
3. Combine ingredients: Add your greens to a bowl and arrange equal portions of chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, corn, red onion, tempeh bacon and cheese (if using) on top of the greens.
4. Add avocado and dressing: Just before serving, top salad with avocado and 2-3 Tablespoons of the red wine vinaigrette or your favorite dressing. Garnish with fresh dill, if using.
5. For mason jar salads: Add 2-3 Tablespoons of dressing to a wide-mouth quart size mason jar. Add ingredients in the following order: onion, carrots, cucumber, chickpeas, corn and tempeh bacon. Add greens and top with cheese. When ready to serve, shake mason jar and dump contents into a bowl. Top with avocado and garnish with fresh dill, if using.

Notes

• Chickpeas – Like I mentioned, I used canned chickpeas because they’re super easy to use! If you don’t like chickpeas you can substitute for another white bean like cannellini beans or Northern beans.
• Veggies – The great thing about this salad is that it’s totally customizable based on the ingredients you have on hand. Feel free to great creative and make up your own combo of veggies!
• Fresh herbs – I love adding fresh dill to this salad, but honestly any fresh herb would be a delicious addition.
• Dairy-free cheese – Feel free to add some vegan feta or any dairy-free cheese for some added creaminess!