Mexican Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing

I think by now you all know about my love affair with good Mexican food. !Me gusto! So I am always looking for new recipes and new ideas to add to my ever growing repertoire. The other day when I made my enchiladas with mole sauce Enchiladas Con Pollo y Mole I also made a Mexican salad with a creamy avocado dressing to go with it. I took both dishes to our potluck party and both were loved by all.

The Salad

For the salad I just tossed together a few ingredients that are often used in a variety of Mexican dishes such as, corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers and lettuce. Then I topped it all with some avocado slices, roasted pepitas and crumbled cotija cheese.

The dressing was a recipe I saw, once again, from our very own “My Meals Are On Wheels” at https://beatcancer2010.wordpress.com/. But of course, I added my own personal touches to it, as I always do.

It is once again lemon verbena season and it is growing wild all over my backyard. I just love lemon verbena, also known as lemon balm, and I try to use it as much as I can when it is in season. But every year I get more and more and there is NO WAY I can ever use it all. Anyone who wants some is more than welcome to it. It makes everything taste and smell lemony fresh. That being said, of course I added some to my dressing.

Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing

2 avocados

1/2 white onion

1 jalapeno

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup white wine or Proseco vinegar

3 TBSP olive oil and/or lime olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup buttermilk (I make mine with powdered buttermilk and milk)

1/2 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP lime juice

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 cup fresh lemon verbena, optional

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and mix until it is smooth and creamy. Then chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

I used this salad two different ways. The first day I used it as a side salad. But I had quite a bit of my chicken filling leftover from the enchiladas, so I made the salad into a dinner salad by topping it with the chicken. Both ways, it was muy delicioso.

Life is short. Eat well and be happy, healthy and safe. ‘Til next time.