Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing
Try this Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing recipe.
Try this Southwestern Chopped Salad with Cilantro Dressing recipe.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1-2 garlic cloves
- large head of romaine
- 15 oz. can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 large orange bell pepper
- 2 cups corn (i used frozen thawed)
- 5 green onions
- for creamy cilantro-lime dressing
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro stems removed and roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
- 1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- Carbohydrate 65.803180808641 g
- Cholesterol 1.8375 mg
- Fat 15.2041591826087 g
- Fiber 13.3762087225044 g
- Protein 10.6219249944579 g
- Saturated Fat 2.48709166886552 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Recipe (916g)
- Sodium 66.120166635283 mg
- Sugar 52.4269720861365 g
- Trans Fat 0.74749166676721 g
- Calories 417 calories
Step-by-step
- Finely chop romaine, bell pepper, tomatoes, and green onions.
- Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Toss with desired dressing.
- For dressing:
- Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Blending the dressing requires an upright blender or a narrow immersion blender container rather than a wide food processor bowl, because the small volume of liquids fails to reach the blades in wider vessels. Emulsifying the quarter cup of olive oil and half cup of Greek yogurt creates a thick base that relies on the high-speed vortex to incorporate properly without separating.
- Thaw frozen corn completely and pat the kernels dry with paper towels to prevent excess moisture from diluting the dressing.
- Rinse the canned black beans thoroughly in a colander and let them drain for at least ten minutes to remove starchy canning liquid.
- Substitute sour cream for the Greek yogurt at a 1:1 ratio if a richer mouthfeel is desired, though acidity levels will drop slightly.
- Chop the romaine lettuce into uniform half-inch ribbons so each bite holds equal proportions of beans and vegetables.
- Consume the dressed salad within two hours of tossing, as salt draws moisture out of the cherry tomatoes and crisp bell peppers.
Processing the cilantro stems alongside the leaves adds robust herbal flavor without altering the smooth texture. Adjusting the white vinegar by half a teaspoon at the end corrects any dullness in the yogurt base.
