Southwestern Cobb Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

I have been wanting to make a salad with cilantro dressing ever since my daughter made one last summer for a get-together she went to.  It looked so colorful and refreshing.  I figured what better time to try it than during the week before Cinco de Mayo.  Although, salad is not the first thing I think of when I want Mexican food, this salad would be perfect for a summer bar-b-q or any time you need a salad for a get-together.  It would also balance out all of the heavy food at a Mexican dinner and allow those watching their diets to participate in the fun.

The thing I liked about this salad (besides the colors) was that the dressing is a vinaigrette instead of yogurt based as so many of the recipes I’ve seen on Pinterest are.  For some reason, even though I like yogurt, I don’t enjoy it in salad dressing.  I also decided to add chicken to make it more of a main dish and up the protein level.  We ate it for dinner last night, and it was very filling, yet we didn’t feel like we were stuffed like you do when you eat Mexican food.  It is also a great dish to make when you have leftover chicken from another meal.

The only problem we had with this salad is nobody in our family wanted to start eating because we didn’t want to mess up the salad!  We quickly overcame that issue though as we were too hungry.  And it didn’t disappoint.  With the light, fresh tasting dressing, and all of the yummy ingredients, it was a hit with all of us.  I think this salad is going to be appearing on our table a lot this summer. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Southwestern Cobb Salad

For the Salad:

• 1/2 of a 5 oz. bag of baby lettuce
• 1/2 of a 9 oz. bag of romaine lettuce
• 1 c cooked, cubed chicken
• 1 c diced yellow bell pepper
• 1 – 2 avocados, diced
• 1 cup Kraft 3 Cheese Crumbles or grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 of a pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• half of a can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 c frozen corn, rinsed in cool water and drained
• 1 pkg. or 15 green onions, sliced
• 3/4 c of  tortilla strips (I found mine in the fresh produce aisle in a foil pouch near the croutons)

1. Mix the 2 lettuces together and place in a large bowl.
2. After you have all the ingredients ready, place each ingredient except the tortilla strips on top of the lettuce like the spokes of a wagon wheel, alternating colors.
3. Place the tortilla strips in the middle of the salad on top of the other ingredients.
4. Serve with Cilantro Vinaigrette (recipe below).

For the Cilantro Vinaigrette:

Serves 3 people

• 1/4 c lime juice (approximately 2 limes)
• 1/4 c canola oil
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1 tsps. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsps. sugar
• 1/2 tsps. salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
• 1 c loosely packed, cilantro, finely chopped

1. Using a mini-food processor or very sharp knife, mince the garlic cloves, jalapeno, and cilantro.
2. Place all of the ingredients in a mason jar and shake or mix in a mixing bowl and whisk until well-blended.
3. Chill until needed.  Serves 3 people.
4. Pour over salad and toss or serve along-side the salad.  Refrigerate any leftovers.

I used recipes from Garden Grazer, Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen, and Closet Cooking as my starting point for this recipe.