Anita's Table Talk

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Southwestern Chopped Salad

Chopped Salad

Southwestern Chopped Salad

With so much great produce still coming out of the garden or at the farmer’s market, I seem to be staying on my chopped salad kick.

Today I prepared Southwestern Chopped Salad recipe. The secret of the deliciousness is in the dressing, but feel free to use Ranch dressing or your dressing of choice–it will still be fresh and healthy.

Topping with Aldi Tortilla Strips

I topped these with Santa Fe Style Tortilla Strips that I bought at Aldi. I’m hoping they’re not just a passing thing for Aldi and they continue to carry. They add just the perfect finish to this salad. I’m thinking some kind of nacho-flavored tortilla chip would work as well (but not nearly as colorful or fun).

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Chopped salads are fun to make, especially with kids. Pull out your pizza cutter and let them use it to chop the lettuce, rolling the pizza cutter back and forth over the lettuce in a large bowl. Having a hand in preparing the salad will make them much more likely to taste the finished product.

Chopped Salad
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Southwestern Chopped Salad

Southwestern Chopped Salad
Course Salad
Author Anita's Table Talk

Ingredients

  • 1 romaine heart chopped , about 1 ½ cups
  • ½ iceberg lettuce head chopped, about 1 ½ cups
  • 1 large orange or red bell pepper seeded and chopped
  • 1 medium tomato chopped
  • 5 green onions white and green parts, chopped
  • ½ small red onion chopped
  • 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
  • ½ cups corn fresh, frozen (thawed) or canned corn, rinsed and drained
  • ½ avocado chopped
  • Parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • a few tortilla chips crumbled (optional)
  • Dressing
  • ¾-1 cup loosely packed cilantro stems removed, roughly chopped
  • ½ avocado
  • ½ jalapeno with or without seeds—depends on your heat tolerance
  • Juice from 1 lime add zest from lime for added flavor
  • 1-2 garlic cloves minced, to taste
  • ¾-1 cup low fat buttermilk
  • 1-2 teaspoons rice or cider vinegar more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt more to taste

Instructions

  1. Dressing: COMBINE all ingredients in a blender or food processor and PUREE until mixture is smooth.
  2. TASTE and ADJUST seasonings if necessary.
  3. Salad: Finely CHOP romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions and red onion.
  4. PLACE all ingredients in a large bowl. MIX and then ADD dressing. TOSS to combine.
  5. TOP with freshly grated Parm and some crumbled tortilla chips for added crunch.

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