I was craving some lighter Southwestern style food for lunch (well linner, really) so poof!
This loaded salad with creamy avocado dressing came to life in my kitchen.
It’s satisfying but won’t put you in food coma territory, which makes it the perfect midday meal when you actually need to get stuff done later and don’t have the ability to laze around on the couch drifting in and out of crazy dream type sleep.
Don’t get me wrong, you could certainly enjoy this recipe for dinner too, along with some crispy tortilla chips and maybe definitely a fruity margarita or an ice-cold Corona (plus lime, of course) if you’re into the beer scene.
I’m a margarita girl personally, but a light, bubbly beer during the warmer months never did any harm.
Coronaritas though, that’s a whole nother story…
Just make sure you have some friends nearby to share that six pack with or say adios to your own six pack.
Anyway.
This beautiful salad is comprised of fresh, crisp lettuce (big surprise there), black beans, colorful bell pepper (don’t you dare use the inferior green ones), sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, and nutty toasted pepitas.
Don’t forget to season your salad with salt!
Bring out those flavors, as always.
And yes there is cilantro involved (aka the devil to some) but I suppose you could leave it out of both the salad and the dressing.
Let me know how that goes…
For the dressing you’re going to blend up perfectly ripened avocado, zesty fresh lime juice, jalapeño for a little kick, cilantro, a splash of water (this isn’t guac), and you guessed it, salt!
Drizzle that magic green sauce all over your salad then dig in.
P.S. Romaine works well, but I had a butter lettuce blend on hand so that’s what I went for. No complaints.
P.P.S. Taste your dressing then adjust the ingredients until you’re happy as a clam. Want a thinner dressing? Add more water/lime juice. I like it thick and creamy though.
P.P.P.S. You will most likely have dressing leftover (unless you’re a dressing fiend) so dip some tortilla chips in the stuff or take a spoon straight to the mouth. Your call. You can also spoon the leftovers into a small glass container, press plastic wrap directly over the dressing, then refrigerate until you’re ready to inhale another salad.