White Bean, Cherry Tomato & Heart of Palm Salad with Refreshing Lemon Basil Dressing

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If you love refreshing and zesty salads and are looking for a healthy alternative to fresh mozzarella, you'll love this salad recipe!

I have been loving heart of palm as a mozzarella replacement in salads lately. The texture and mild flavor is similar to fresh mozzarella and with the right dressing it can taste very similar. For convenience, I like to use canned heart of palm which is readily available and easy to drain, slice, and serve. 

I added in white beans for extra protein and fiber along with fresh cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and sliced green onion.

The dressing is what makes this salad so delicious and zesty. It's super easy to throw together quickly in the blender. First, add to the blender the lemon juice, water, vegan cashew parmesan (or nutritional yeast), garlic, and mustard and blend until combined. Then, add in the basil leaves and pulse a few times until shredded into small pieces. 

It's amazing how flavorful this dressing is with no oil needed! The lemon juice and fresh basil in combination with cherry tomatoes, avocado, and heart of palm makes for a deliciously healthy fresh salad that's actually so filling and satisfying. 

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Spinach Artichoke Dip [Vegan, Nut-free, Oil-free, Gluten-free]

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This healthy dip tastes so creamy and indulgent you'll forget that it's packed full of nutrient rich leafy greens. The key with this recipe is blending parts of it and leaving other parts more chunky. I used to make this by throwing everything into the blender all at once and pulverizing it all into a kind of hummus style dip, and that was alright too- and probably a great option for people who aren't so into the texture of artichokes, but I prefer this dish when it's well balanced between chunky and creamy. 

You can make this dip in half an hour and have it on hand all week for snacks or quick meals. Since this recipe is nut-free and made of mostly canned foods, it's really inexpensive, making it an ideal dish to add to your weekly meal rotation if you're on a budget. 

One of my favorite ways to enjoy this dip is in a sandwich with avocado or baked tofu, but I don't have any of those things on hand today so I used the spread on a sandwich all on it's own and it was still awesome!