It’s time for another recipe from Judith! This time I got her to share her Southwestern Chopped Salad recipe, which is going to make you so, so happy! You can throw this together and have it for dinner all by itself, or you can take it to a party, where it’s sure to get rave reviews and unlikely to leave leftovers. Use canned black beans, canned corn, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder instead of garlic cloves — keep it as easy as you want. This is also a great recipe to set out deconstructed for kids, with lettuce in a large bowl in the center, and add-ons in smaller bowls all around, so that they think they’re the ones deciding what to eat. If you make the salad this way, you can serve the dressing separately in a small pitcher. Wink-wink. 

Salad:

1 large head of Romaine lettuce (rinsed well, drained, dried at least partially)
3/4 cup black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 large red or orange bell pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
2 cups corn (canned, fresh or thawed from frozen)
5 green onions

Dressing:

1 cup loosely packed cilantro, stems removed and chopped roughly
1/2 avocado (or 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt)
2-3 Tbsp. lime juice (approx. 1 lime)
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1 pinch salt

1. Rinse the lettuce leaves first, and leave to dry on towels while you prepare the rest of the salad.
2. Chop the bell pepper fine, quarter the tomatoes, and slice the green onions thinly. Combine in a large salad bowl with black beans and corn.
3. Puree the cilantro, avocado, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
4. Chop the romaine fine, and add to the bowl.
5. Add half the dressing, toss well to combine, and add remaining dressing as desired.

Bon appetit!