Santa Fe Chopped Salad with Cilantro Citrus Vinaigrette

I always think of my daughter, Tissi, when I make this salad. Tissi and a friend of hers were discussing vegetarianism one day and he made her a bet that she couldn’t go without eating meat for more than 2 days. Tissi decided to take him up on it and she won the bet! The funny thing is, while she was trying to be all vegetarian in order to win, she realized she didn’t miss meat at all! So after her 2 days were up, she decided to just go on eating the way she was and she became a vegetarian for real! Has been for a couple of years now. Isn’t that funny? Anyway, when I make this salad and see all the colorful rows of veggies, I always think of my Tissi. You wouldn’t miss meat either when faced with a healthy, delicious salad like this one!

That being said, the “Tex-Mex” flavor of this salad makes it a great accompaniment to barbecued meat or chicken. It’s delicious alongside a pulled pork sandwich or some tender slices of smoked beef brisket. Sometimes I add crumbled bacon to it which makes it extra yummy in my book. After all, everything is better with bacon, right? (As you might have guessed, I’m not a vegetarian.) If you’re looking for a heartier, more filling salad that could stand alone as a light lunch or brunch dish, you could toss in some chopped grilled chicken.

The dressing for this salad has very little oil which makes it less fattening than other dressings, albeit rather thin. If you want a thicker, creamier dressing, try whisking in a half cup of plain greek yogurt.

SANTA FE CHOPPED SALAD

• 1 large head romaine lettuce or 2 romaine hearts, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 small (2.25 oz.) cans sliced black olives, drained
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 can (15.25 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1½ cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup tortilla strips
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• half of a small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

1. Place chopped lettuce in a bowl.
2. Arrange remaining ingredients in rows on top of lettuce.
3. Just before serving, drizzle with Cilantro Citrus Vinaigrette.
4. Toss and serve.

CILANTRO CITRUS VINAIGRETTE

• 1 cup fresh cilantro, loosely packed
• ¼ cup orange juice
• juice from 2 limes (about 3½ – 4 Tbsp.)
• 2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ⅛ tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil (can substitute canola oil)

1. Place cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, honey, cumin, salt and pepper in bowl of food processor or blender and pulse until well-combined.
2. Then gradually stream in the oil while processing until oil is completely incorporated. Dressing is thin and light.

Advertisement

Copycat La Bou Creamy Dill Dressing

La Bou is a local bakery cafe chain. They opened their first store in 1981 and it was a huge success with people lined up outside to buy their delicious handmade croissants. Since then, they’ve expanded to open several stores in the greater Sacramento area serving wonderful salads, sandwiches, soups, pastries and espresso drinks. But what they’ve really become famous for is something that’s not even listed as a choice on their menu. I’m talking about their baguette bread that they serve with a creamy dill dipping sauce. I know it sounds weird to dip slices of bread in what is essentially a salad dressing, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. It is so addictive that every time you go there, you’ll find yourself ordering a full or half baguette with dill sauce to take home.

Anyway, it’s with extreme sadness that I report that our local La Bou in town has just closed its doors. Everyone at work was so dismayed to hear the news. They were right down the street from the office and were a favorite lunch time spot. I can’t understand why they closed. To mark this sad occasion, I’m making a copycat version of their dill dressing for the family to eat with some baguette bread this evening. I don’t know how La Bou makes their actual dressing, but this tastes just like it and will hit the spot whenever you need a La Bou fix.

COPYCAT LA BOU CREAMY DILL DRESSING

• 1½ cups mayonnaise
• 1 pkg. Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing mix
• ¼ cup fresh dill, minced
• 1¼ cups water

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.
   (If you don’t want to mince the dill by hand, you could place all the ingredients into a food processor and process until dill is finely minced.)
2. Refrigerate until ready to use.

NOTE:  If you make this in a food processor, the dip will seem frothy and bubbly immediately after mixing, but don’t worry. The bubbles will settle down and disappear after the dip has sat for a while. It will also seem very watery at first, but will thicken a bit in the refrigerator. La Bou’s dipping sauce is really pretty thin but if you want yours to be thicker, feel free to cut down on the amount of water you add.