This recipe for Top 8 Allergen Free Nacho Salad is out of this world delicious! Crunchy, crisp, leafy, and juicy; it just tastes like sunshine. Because I am allergic to dairy, I don’t eat nachos that often, or, ever, really. That is unless I make them myself, and even then, I’m not sure they resemble “real” nachos due to the absence of cheese. If you desire that cheesy flavor but choose or need to do so without dairy, you can add a sprinkle of your favorite brand of nutritional yeast at the very end. If Daiya or another brand of vegan cheese is safe for your allergies you may want to experiment with that too. But full disclosure, because I am allergic to most legumes I do not eat Daiya, so I’m not sure how it would taste.

The trick to this salad is to build it in layers, as pictured below. I think this would be a lot of fun to make with kids because it’s so easy to build, but has many different tastes and textures to explore.

Free from: peanuts, nuts, dairy, soy, egg, wheat, fish, shellfish
Notes: tortilla chips can sometimes contain wheat, soy, or other allergens, depending on the brand. I use a brand of pure corn tortilla made with palm oil. Please read labels and select a brand of chip that is allergy safe for you.

Ingredients
1 romaine lettuce, shredded
2 cups (or 2 handfuls) of blue corn tortilla chips *note about label reading
1 ear of corn, kernels shaved off and cooked*
1 beefsteak or field tomato, diced
1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup rinsed black beans
1/4 cup avocado, roughly mashed
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 green onion, diced
1 shallot, finely sliced
1 tsp finely diced jalapeno
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
the juice of one lime
flaky sea salt and black pepper to taste

* to cook the kernels of corn, saute them lightly in a small saucepan with about 1 tsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of water until cooked through, about 5 - 7 minutes.

Chop, shred, and prep all of your ingredients. Get a large plate or serving platter. Layer the shredded romaine lettuce on first, followed by the corn chips in an even layer. Sprinkle the corn, tomato, pepper, and black beans evenly on top. Pile the mashed avocado in the center, then pile up the cilantro next to it. Sprinkle the green onion, shallot, jalapeno, paprika, and pepper flakes on top. Drizzle the oil and lime juice over everything, then season with salt an pepper to taste.