This Hearts of Palm Salad with a Simple Lemon Vinaigrette needs just a few ingredients and a few minutes to make. The flavor payoff, however, is huge!
Sometimes the simplest of flavors make the most delicious bites. I was having drinks at a restaurant with friends before the holidays and I was the only one who had already eaten dinner. They all ordered something and looking at other people’s food makes you hungry, right? I decided to order a salad they had on their specials menu so I had something to munch on while we chatted and sipped. The salad actually contained an ingredient I had never had before, but it sounded good, so I took a chance. It was a Hearts of Palm Salad.
Have you ever heard of hearts of palm? If so, have you ever eaten it? I had no idea what to expect and I was very happily surprised. The other ingredients in the salad were tomatoes, cucumber and avocados. I can’t remember what it was dressed with, but I do know it was very simple. It seemed so easy, I knew I had to recreate it at home.
Hearts of Palm
Heart of palm is the edible inner core of certain types of palm trees. This vegetable is white and tubular and tastes like a mild artichoke. Update Feb 2017: You guys know I love my artichokes! I know you love them too based on the popularity of my Buffalo Chickpea and Artichoke Taquitos and my Mediterranean Pasta w/ Roasted Red Peppers & Artichokes.
I’m sure you can probably get them fresh somewhere, but the ones I bought came in a jar. Hearts of palm contain fiber, B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, iron, potassium, and protein. It is also low in fat and cholesterol free.
Quick and Easy
I kept the salad ingredients the same as how I enjoyed it in the restaurant. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, amiright?! I made an extremely simple lemon vinaigrette to drizzle on top. YUM! It almost seems too easy to be this good, but I’m telling you, it IS!
This Hearts of Palm Salad makes a great starter course. You could also pair it with a cup of soup or a crusty hunk of bread for a light lunch.
Hearts of Palm Salad
I hope you love this Hearts of Palm Salad as much as we do. If you try it please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired so I’m sure to see it! Enjoy!
- 1 14 oz jar hearts of palm (sliced thin) (it will make rings if you push out the middle)
- 1 avocado (pitted, peeled and cut into bite size pieces)
- 2 cups grape tomatos (halved)
- 1/2 large seedless cucumber (cut into bite size pieces)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- Add all salad ingredients to a bowl and set aside.
- Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients and drizzle over the salad - you probably won't need all of the dressing. Save the remaining in an air tight container in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Originally posted January 2015. Updated January 2017.
More Quick and Easy Dairy Free Salads to Love:
Quick and Easy White Bean Salad
Cucumber Chickpea Salad w/ Tahini Dressing
Trinity2013 says
What a fab idea! Keep up these excellent recipe.. I look forward to seeing what other great ideas you come up with.