Summer is for Salads

Several weeks this summer, we have had “supper salads” for dinner. These hearty, mealtime creations can really include anything fresh and delicious. I have done a Thai Chicken Salad with napa cabbage, carrots and mangos…Honey Mustard Chicken Salad with bacon and avocado, an apple, pear, dried cranberry, hard boiled egg chopped salad – all served on a bed of lettuce and with some form of homemade dressing. Tonight’s was a Chopped Tex-Mex Salad – I made some adaptations to the recipe…

Dressing
1 cup of ranch dressing
2 chopped tomatillos
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons of Taco Seasoning
1 handful of cilantro leaves
Blend everything together (blender or a magic bullet) and put in the fridge.

Taco Beef
1 lb of ground beef (I used flank steak)
1 tablespoon of taco seasoning
1/4 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper

You can fry the beef, adding the olive oil, 1/2 cup of water and taco seasoning
OR
Marinate the sliced flank steak in taco seasoning, olive oil and salt and pepper for about 3-4 hours. I grilled it on the BBQ with the corn and the red pepper.

Salad
1 head of any kind of lettuce, chopped
1 can of beans (I used Ramono -but, you can use black beans or even kidney beans)
I red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced and soaked in ice water for 15 minutes
2 ears of corn, grilled and sliced off the cob
4 avocados, chopped
grated cheddar cheese (or any other kind)
a handful of cilantro leaves
Nacho chips

Combine everything in the salad bowl, except the cheese, steak and dressing.
I served the salad and then let everyone add their own cheese and dressing – this made sure that the leftover salad was not soggy and could be used as leftovers for lunch.