Wednesday, July 30, 2008

All Star Fiesta Salad

I have several go-to ingredients that if I pick them up at the store, I know I can make something delicious out of them. They include:

Avocado
Red Onion
Garlic
Bell peppers
Lime
Cilantro
Mango
Chicken

For last night's thank you dinner, I made salmon. Jacala, my friend and Megan's roommate, doesn't like salmon, however, so I grilled her a nice piece of chicken for the pineapple teriyaki glaze. That meant I had leftovers, so I decided to make a festive salad for tonight! I made sure to pick up my go-to ingredients last night (well, most of them), along with a few other all stars :) This salad is inspired by a recipe for work that our spokesperson Ingrid Hoffmann created, Mango, Chicken and Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing (shameless plug, but I can't help where inspiration strikes!)

All Star Fiesta Salad

Grilled Chicken, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper (about 1 to 1/2 cups)
2 mangos, peeled, pitted and diced
1 avocado, cubed
1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded and diced
1 ear fresh corn, kernels removed and slightly roasted
1 roma tomato, diced
1/2 can black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, lightly toasted
4 ounces romaine lettuce
Olive oil
2 limes
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped and divided
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper

Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil with the zest and juice of 2 limes and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Add in additional olive oil as needed for correct consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste along with a dash of cayenne pepper. Toss into salad and add remaining cilantro. Serve with crushed up tortilla chips for added crunch!

Obviously ingredients can be removed or swapped as desired. I rarely make the same salad twice, but I love trying new flavor combos. I love the pistachios in this recipe for the added crunch!


Now I have a question for you: What's in your all star salad?


7 comments:

Jack said...

I had no idea you were making dinner again, but I made some tum room! Deelish!

My all-star salad: baby greens, roma tomatoes, bleu/goat/feta cheese (just one!), any kind of nut, dehydrated cranberries, topped off with some form of a vinaigrette- and maybe some edamame if I'm feeling saucy!

Thanks again Lindsay Bun!

Brittney said...

I have got to move back to my 1-mile-away-from-you home.

My fave salad: baby spinach with field greens, goat cheese, candied walnuts, sliced plum tomatoes and dried cranberries--topped off with that delicious dressing you and I always get at Cheesecake Factory...you know what I'm talking about!!

Unknown said...

Hm, that seems like a lot of ingredients for a novice- do you have an easier version of this salad?

Thanks Apron!

Lindsay said...

If you're looking to cut down on ingredients, you can usually pick between chicken and beans since they both have protein. I chose both since I already had them :) As for veggies, it's really just the flavors and textures you like. Sometimes I'll just have onion, bell pepper and avocado and be happy too.

Lundy said...

I have to go with dried cranberries, walnuts, goat cheese, spinach with oil and vinegar. Yes, I'm a weirdo. I also had the new summer salad at panera the other day and it was awesome. Fresh strawberries, pinapple, melons, grapes and pecans over lettuce with a fat free poppyseed dressing.

Anonymous said...

Great question Apron!
My summer fav is a strawberry spinach salad, with chicken, almonds or walnuts, feta and poppyseed dressing. If fresh stawberries aren't on hand, dried cranberries work too!

ivette said...

YUM! I cannot wait to try this at home! My all-star salad is secret--but it has serrano peppers in it! yum!