Mexican Salad with Grilled Chicken and Honey Lime Dressing

Normally when you think Mexican food, you think giant, heavy burritos dripping in fat, or greasy chips dunked in cheese.

Case in point: a burrito I ate in San Diego. It has its own flag because it was the size of a small country.




However, amigos, it does not have to be this way. Many traditional Mexican ingredients, like beans and avocado, are super healthy for you. With some ingredients I already had in my fridge and pantry, I was able to throw together a delicious and nutritious Mexican salad. It is full of wonderful flavor, color, and texture. Ole!


Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag romaine lettuce

• 1 avocado. Avocado is so damn creamy and delicious. It's like nature's butter.

• 1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained. You can also use fresh tomato, obviously.

• 1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed. I think it tastes better than canned corn.

• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese. Yeah, I know, it's Greek. If you have Mexican cotija cheese, or really any kind you like, feel free to substitute. Or don't even use cheese. See if I care!

• 1 handful baked tortilla chips. This is a great use for those broken chips at the bottom of the bag!

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 1/2 cup Tequila Lime Marinade. I use the stuff from Kroger, but any Mexican style marinade will do.

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup lime juice

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 2 tbsp. honey

• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro. My cilantro plant suffered an untimely demise, so I used a cilantro paste from the grocery store.

• 1 clove minced garlic

This makes a LOT of salad! It is great as an appetizer for company, or can even stand up as a delicious and healthy main dish.


Directions:

Cut your chicken breast into bite sized strips and put them in a bowl to marinate in the Tequila Lime Marinade for at least a half hour.




Meanwhile, you can prepare and assemble your other ingredients. You can start by dicing your avocado. The easiest way? Cut it in half and pop out the pit. Then score the flesh into cubes, and simply cut them away from the peel with a spoon.




Drain your tomatoes and beans.




Pour your lettuce into a bowl and toss with the tomatoes, beans, avocado, corn, cheese, and chips.




Grill up your chicken pieces on a Foreman grill (or other grill, or sautee in a pan). Toss the warm chicken into the salad as well.




Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing. TIP: Add the oil before the honey so it coats your measuring spoon and makes it easier for the honey to slide off. Go ahead and toss the dressing into your salad. Lots of salad tossing going on!




Your delicious Mexican salad is now complete. Buen provecho!

Caprese Salad

Caprese Salad is a perfect example of a recipe that sounds a lot more fancy and complicated than it actually is. It conjures up images of driving a Ferrari around a seaside cliff in Italy, savoring life as the wind blows back your hair.




In reality, this salad is so easy to make that I can barely even call it a recipe. It is very simple, fresh, and elegant, and it makes a beautiful start to a meal if you are entertaining. I never used to really like raw tomato, but I love it in this dish.

Caprese Salads can be made in a wide variety of ways and presentations, but mine is obviously the best. Buon appetito!


Ingredients:

• 1/2 large tomato. Doesn't matter what type as long as it's nice and big (that's what she said?)

• 3 thick round slices of fresh mozzarella. You can buy it already sliced into medallions, or slice it yourself.

• Fresh basil. Depends how much based on how big the leaves are, but enough to form a layer the size of a tomato slice, plus some more to garnish.

• Balsamic vinegar. Just enough to drizzle.

• Olive oil. Ditto.

• Salt n' pepa

As you can see, very few ingredients for this salad, and the flavors balance perfectly. It looks beautiful on the plate, and it couldn't be easier to make!


Directions:

Slice your tomato half in half again, cutting off either the top of the tomato or the bottom depending which half you are using so the slices are both flat and even. I like to have nice thick slices of tomato!




Arrange the medallions of fresh mozzarella and basil leaves on one of the tomato slices.




Sprinkle with salt n' pepa to taste.




Put the other slice of tomato on top, drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and garnish with some more fresh basil. That's all there is to it!




Do YOU have any easy salad ideas?

Make Your Sandwiches Sexier

Now that I am part of the work force, I have realized how much money (and calories) you save by packing your own lunch for school or work. For example, you could buy a pound of sliced turkey at the deli counter to last you a week for the same amount it would cost to buy just ONE sandwich at a cafe or restaurant. That shit adds up!

The most common gripes about why people don't want to pack their own lunches are that they don't have the time, and that homemade lunches are boring and don't taste as good.

To address the first issue, it takes ten minutes to make a sandwich, you lazy ass. It probably takes longer to go out and buy something.

To address the second issue, I am writing this blog post!

Making sandwiches sexier is easy. Start with something basic you like, such as turkey, roast beef, or tuna, and play around with different accompaniments. Try different breads, cheeses, and toppings. To get you started, here are just a couple ideas:

Turkey with Pesto Mayonnaise

For a long time, my standard sandwich was turkey on wheat with lettuce, cheese, and light mayo. It kept me satisfied for a while, but I started to crave more flavor that wouldn't involve having to buy a lot more ingredients. The solution? Pesto!




You can buy pesto in a jar at the grocery store. It is more expensive than your typical condiment, but one little jar can last for months.

All I do is put a little dollop of light mayo on a slice of bread, and then about half a dollop of pesto. You can mix it right there on the bread as you spread it around...no need to dirty any more bowls or utensils!

The pesto adds an intense kick of flavor to an otherwise bland sandwich without adding calories.

Turkey with Cranberry Sauce

Another easy condiment to add to a plain ole turkey sandwich is cranberry sauce. You can buy the kind in the can that slides right out onto a plate in the same shape as the can, frightening young and old alike.



Just shave a layer off the top and spread it onto your bread with your other toppings! As anyone who has ever celebrated Thanksgiving can attest to, turkey and cranberry are a match made in heaven. I would not recommend mixing with mayonnaise or anything crazy like that.

The cranberry sauce adds a nice sweet, tangy flavor to your sandwich!

Miscellaneous

Some other fun ingredients you might wanna try to jazz up a turkey sandwich: very thin slices of apple, avocado slices instead of mayo, or even mix a bit of curry powder into some mayo if you like it hot! Go CRAZY.




And now for an actual recipe.

Yada, yada, yada, Stacy. We know how to make a sandwich. We want RECIPES!

Here is my recipe for Grape and Walnut Tuna Salad. It is a fantastic way to add flavor, nutrients, and texture to regular ole tuna! Makes for an easy and healthy sandwich.

Ingredients:

• 3 cans of tuna

• 1/2 cup light mayo

• 1/4 cup light ranch dressing

• 1 cup chopped walnuts. Adds a healthy crunch.
  

• 1 bunch of red seedless grapes. Adds pretty color and a sweet burst of flavor.
  

• Lettuce

• Bread

NOTE: This makes enough tuna salad for 3-4 sandwiches. It is smart to make a big batch at the beginning of the week to enjoy over lettuce or in a sandwich to take to school/work.


Directions:

Open your cans of tuna, drain them, and put the tuna into a mixing bowl. Flake with a fork to break up any large chunks (sorry if you are offended by the word "chunks").




Pour in your mayonnaise and ranch dressing and mix well to combine. Slice your grapes in half and mix them in as well.




Chop up your walnuts if you did not buy them pre-chopped and put them in, too.





Mix everything together and put on bread with some lettuce. Or serve a scoop of it over some lettuce. In either case, be sure to chill it well beforehand. Enjoy your big delicious sandwich!




Do YOU have any ideas on how to jazz up a basic sandwich? Any wacky ingredients others may not have thought of? Let's hear em!