Chopped Mexican Salad

This salad is very colorful and has tons of flavor- a great side dish to bring to a potluck. You can top it with chicken, tofu or lean ground beef to make it a meal.

Salad

Ingredients:

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup diced tomato
1 cup corn (fresh, frozen thawed or canned rinsed)
1 cup black beans (canned, rinsed well)
low fat shredded cheese (optional for garnish *use a gluten-free brand such as Trader Joe's if you are on a gluten-free diet)
chopped fresh cilantro (optional for garnish)

Directions:

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large bowl. If serving immediately, toss with dressing (recipe below) or your favorite dressing and serve. Otherwise chill the salad and dressing separately in the fridge and combine right before serving.

Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin

If you don’t have all the ingredients listed above, a nice way to spice up your favorite Italian or ranch dressing is to add ground cumin and lime or your favorite salsa.

Makes 10 cups, five servings

Serving size: Serving size 2 cups without dressing Calories 110 Protein 5 g Carb 19 g Fiber 5 g Sugars 5 g Fat 1 g Saturated fat 0 g Sodium 320 mg

With dressing: Calories 160 Protein 5 g Carb 20 g Fiber 5 g Sugars 6 g Fat 7 g Saturated fat 1 g Sodium 360 mg

Optional Garnish: Tortilla strips

Ingredients:

2 corn tortillas (*use a gluten-free brand if you are on a gluten-free diet)
ICB spray or olive oil using olive oil sprayer (if both n/a use a teaspoon of olive oil)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice two corn tortillas lengthwise into 1/4th inch thin strips and spray lightly with ICB or olive oil sprayer, or drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake for about ten minutes or until crispy.