Caribbean Rainbow Salad

Say hello to the summery dinner of your dreams.

Be ready to have a full-on love affair with this salad, friends. It’s going to happen. I guarantee it.

I’ve written about this incredible restaurant in Pittsburgh called Kaya before – and, in fact, made a copycat recipe of their incredible hot bean dip, but I don’t know if I quite captured just how obsessed I am with this place.

Everything I’ve had there – from their tacos, to their mojitos, to their wine, to their vegetable paella, to their concord grape ice cream (YAAAS) – has been nothing short of spectacular. It’s located in my favorite place on earth – Pittsburgh’s Strip District, and it’s my birthday dinner every single year.

But when we went there on “Mark Day” – aka. the day before Mark started his job and he got to choose everything we did that day -, we wanted something light so we split this Caribbean Rainbow Salad. It came in a giant bowl topped to the 9s with fresh and exotic ingredients like mango, chickpeas, herbs, avocado, and malanga. Honestly, I could have eaten 3 of these salads, and we had literally just eaten our weight in chips and salsa not five minutes before.

I know salads are assigned this stereotype that they’re boring, sad, and flavorless. I’ve definitely had my fair share of a giant bowl of lettuce with a mere sprinkling of toppings.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Friends, this is no boring salad. It’s anything but. There are just SO many different textures, flavors, and colors – your mouth will constantly find something new and exciting with each bite.

This salad is the you-know-what.

I let out a weird shriek-like sound once I took the first bite of my version of Kaya’s famous salad, and Mark came running and thought I hurt myself. No, Mark. I’m just completely and totally jazzed about this Caribbean Rainbow Salad.

I took some short-cuts, as I wasn’t quite sure where exactly to find some of the ingredients (I’m looking at you, malanga), but I think my substitutions can definitely stand up to the original.

So let me break this bad-boy down for you:

veggies: romaine, green onion, garlic, and hearts of palm – this combo gives us some great texture! We’re doing something a little zany with the garlic…we’re making garlic chips! You’ll just pan-fry garlic slices in some olive oil until brown and crisp. They’re so simple to make, and they give this salad so much texture and flavor! They’re going to be your new fav salad topper.

And the hearts of palm!! I love it so much. I added it as a substitution for malanga, and it was a fab idea (she says so humbly). It’s chewy and briny and SO yummy. If you’re having trouble finding it at the store (I found a nice jar at Trader Joe’s near the olives), feel free to sub some chopped artichokes.

fruits: mango, tomatoes, lime, and avocado – can you say SUMMER?! Mango is one of my all-time favorite summer flavors, yet I never really buy it. It’s SO juicy and sweet, and that bright yellow…forget about it. Pro tip: I used this method for peeling my mangos, and it worked great!

And is it really a vegan salad without avocado? Answer: no. It pairs so incredibly well with those garlic chips we’ll make!

protein: chickpeas and hemp hearts – I just adore chickpeas in salad, and they’re a great way to really make this a “salad for dinner” kinda salad. Nothing’s worse than eating a dinner salad and then getting hungry a whole 5 minutes later. No thank you.

And the hemp hearts…I just think they look pretty sprinkled over the top. #eatprettyfood

herbs: mint and cilantro – OK, this is my favorite part about this salad. WHOLE leaves of cilantro and big, gigunda chunks of mint are thrown in with the romaine. Using fresh herbs are part of your salad greens is such an easy way to add some freshness to the final product.

other goodies: olive oil, honey/maple syrup, and salt+pepper – for a simple dressing! I know what’s going to happen: you’re going to make this dressing, and you’re going to be like, “This blogger lady has no freakin’ clue what she’s talking about. This isn’t enough to cover this salad!” But friends, trust me. It’s going to be enough to coat everything just enough and really let the other ingredients shine. An overpowering salad dressing (or worse, a soggy salad) is never a good thing!

But this salad…this salad is all the good things. [insert heart-eyed emoji here]

Is it weird to just want to have a salad on repeat morning, noon, and night? Because that’s what this salad will do to you.

Best part? YOU CAN MAKE IT AHEAD OF TIME! A few hours before serving, do your chopping and tossing, and then add the avocado and garlic chips right before serving. Holla. Best picnic, party, or get-together ever.

Inspired by my one true restaurant love, Kaya.

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