The smoky sweet taste of chipotle peppers (smoked jalapenos) adds an incredible amount of flavor to a dish, one that pervades throughout and almost becomes better after a day.
However, they are spicy. Almost too spicy for many palates.
A means of making the incredible flavors of this pepper accessible to even the most fragile of taste buds is to purchase them en adobo, which means the peppers are swimming in a wet base.
Using several spoonfuls of the liquid and only a portion of the pepper adds the flavor without the spice.
If you are a vegetarian, and the salad is still too spicy, add some feta or shredded mozzarella cheese, as the dairy will calm the spiciness.

Vegan Chipotle Mexican Bean Salad
The smoky sweet taste of chipotle peppers adds an incredible amount of flavor to this vegan bean salad. Using several spoonfuls of the adobo pepper liquid and only a portion of the pepper adds the flavor without the spice.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chipotle pepper, minced, in 1/4 cup adobo (add more of the pepper if wanting a hotter dish)
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 2 tsp agave nectar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp sunflower or another neutral vegetable oil
- 1/2 white onion, minced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 1 x 410g can 12-bean mix, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped finely
- 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together the chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, lime, agave nectar, salt, oregano, garlic cloves, tomato paste and sunflower oil.
- Toss the onion, tomatoes, beans, cilantro and pepper together. Pour the chipotle mixture evenly over top. Toss until the sauce evenly coats the salad.
- Serve alongside pita or with rice and beans. Pan-fry ¼ cup tofu in adobo sauce to add a protein topping to the salad.
Nutrition Information
Yield
2Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 1589Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 0mgSodium 98mgCarbohydrates 271gFiber 74gSugar 17gProtein 96g