Tex Mex Salad With Creamy Lime Dresing Food

LAYERED TEX MEX SALAD WITH CREAMY LIME DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Grease an 8 by 8-inch glass pan with butter. Stir together the cornbread mix with the egg and milk.
• Evenly spread into prepared pan and bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes.
• Remove from pan to cool completely.
• Mix together the beans with the sazon and season with salt and pepper.
• Toss the salsa with the tomatoes.
• When ready to serve, cut the cornbread into 1/2-inch croutons.
• Toss the lettuce with 3/4 cups of the dressing. In a clear trifle dish, layer the Tex-Mex Salad beginning with the black beans followed by the Monterey jack cheese, the tomato salsa mixture, the Cheddar, the dressed romaine and top with the cornbread croutons.
• Serve the remaining dressing on the side.
• For the dressing, use a blender and blend all the ingredients except the olive oil until smooth.
• While machine is running, slowly drizzle in the oil until incorporated.
• Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

TEX-MEX SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and kosher salt in a large bowl. Toss with 1/2 head shredded iceberg lettuce, and 1/2 cup each chopped plum tomato, chopped cilantro, chopped scallion and shredded cheddar cheese.

FRESH TACO SALAD WITH CREAMY AVOCADO-LIME DRESSING

Steps:

• To make the taco filling:
• In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the rinsed quinoa and water, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes (the quinoa might not be fluffy yet, but don't worry).
• Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Then, uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Gently stir in the black beans and salt. Season to taste with pepper and additional salt, if necessary. Cover and set aside for a couple of minutes to warm up the beans.
• To make the tortilla strips:
• In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Toss in the tortilla strips, sprinkle them with salt, and stir. Cook until the strips are crispy and turning golden, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the tortilla strips on a plate covered with a piece of paper towel.
• To make the dressing:
• In a small food processor or blender, combine the lime juice, olive oil, and water. Using a spoon, scoop in the half avocado and add the cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, and salt. Process until the dressing is nice and smooth. The dressing should be zippy, but if it's unpleasantly tart or difficult to blend, dilute it with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and blend again.
• To assemble the salads:
• Combine the romaine and arugula in a large bowl. Wait to dress the salad until you are ready to serve, as the greens wilt fairly quickly once dressed. (If you won't be consuming all 4 servings of this salad right away, portion off the greens you'd like to save for later, and dress only the greens you intend to eat now.)
• When you're ready, drizzle the mixture with just enough dressing to lightly coat the greens (you might have extra). Toss until the dressing is evenly distributed.
• Arrange the dressed greens in 4 individual salad bowls (or dinner plates, if your bowls are on the small side). Top each salad with taco filling, tomatoes, radishes, crispy tortilla strips, and feta. Slice the remaining avocado half into long strips and place a couple of strips on each salad. Serve immediately.
• If you have leftover dressing, press plastic wrap against the surface to prevent browning and store it in the refrigerator for later. Leftover tortilla strips tend to become unpalatably tough within a couple of hours, so you might want to skip those and add a few crushed tortilla chips to leftovers.

CREAMY LIME DRESSING

Steps:

• Put all ingredients except olive oil in blender and process.
• Add olive oil in a stream while still processing, until mixture thickens.
• Refrigerate.