Healthy Chopped Salad with Buttermilk-Peppercorn Dressing Recipe

I wish I knew about this salad so long ago. It's inspired by a salad I found at M Cafe de Chaya that's a bit fancier – with tempeh bacon, beets, and a vegan "Ranch" dressing. But, after spending way more than I should ever be spending on salads, I decided to make my own version, the Healthy Chopped Salad with Buttermilk-Peppercorn Dressing recipe.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10

Total Time 20

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main, Salad, Sauces, Side

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Servings Servings

Calories 251 kcal

Ingredients

For The Pickled Carrots:

6 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 pound carrots trimmed and sliced paper thin

For The Buttermilk Dressing:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

For The Salad:

6 ounces spicy mixed greens such as baby spinach, tatsoi, arugula, frisée, and mustard greens
1 handful roasted salted almonds or cashews
1 medium firm-ripe avocado finely chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh cooked chickpeas (or one 16-ounce can)
2 Persian cucumbers trimmed and sliced into half moons
1 bunch radishes trimmed and sliced into half moons

Instructions

Make The Quick Pickled Carrots: Stir together 6 tablespoons of the vinegar, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt until well combined. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until the carrots are sweet-sour pickle flavored, about 15 minutes. Drain off the pickling liquid and set aside.
Make The Buttermilk Dressing: Combine the Greek yogurt, buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of the vinegar, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the black pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon of the sugar in a medium nonreactive bowl and whisk until smooth and evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Serve The Chopped Salad: Place the greens in a large serving bowl (or individual bowls if you’d prefer) and arrange the pickled carrots, almonds, avocado, chickpeas, cucumber, and radishes on top. Drizzle with a few spoonfuls of the dressing and serve.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 251kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 7gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 1259mgPotassium: 723mgFiber: 6gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 10095IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Bright Salad, california salad, Easy salad, vegetarian salad