Southwestern Salad

Southwestern foods are up there amongst some of my favorite foods. I didn’t really plan on making our dinner/game night party into a Southwestern event, but it just kind of turned out that way. Maybe I went in that direction because of the rubs Larry put on his meats to smoke them. However I arrived at that decision though, suffice it to say, it was delicious decision to make. 🙂

The cuisine of the Southwestern United States is food styled after the rustic cooking of the Southwestern United States. Southwestern food is distinguished by the use of chili peppers as the primary seasoning, first brought to Santa Fe with the arrival of the Spanish from Mexico. I love peppers, and I cook with them quite often. Southwestern cuisines also include the “three sisters”- corn, squash and beans play a prominent role in Southwestern cooking. I was planning on making a squash dish, but decided against at the very last minute, because I already had a lot, and there were only 8 of us.

Larry smoked a couple of racks of ribs, a turkey breast and some pork.

Yesterday I shared my Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad. Southwestern Sweet Potato Salad I made a Southwestern salad as yet another side dish to accompany the smoked meats. Wendy brought a fruit salad, Elizabeth brought some baked beans and Lauren brought the makings for some vegetarian lettuce wraps and a corn sauce. We had a lot of good food for only 8 people, but we made a pretty good dent in all of it. 🙂

Southwestern Salad

This is just one of an infinite amount of recipes from which to choose. There is always way more than just one way to make anything. 🙂

1 head of Romaine lettuce, shredded

2 cups baby spinach, stems removed and chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/3 red onion sliced very thin

1/4-1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup nopales

2-3 small oranges

1-2 avocados, sliced

pepita seeds

cotija cheese, optional

orange vinaigrette

Most people do not know about nopales. Growing up in Southern California, I grew up with very good Mexican food, and nopales were often eaten. I love them, but don’t eat them that often. I had some in my fridge and threw them into my salad. Nopales are the flat, fleshy pads of the prickly pear cactus, a common and versatile ingredient used in Mexican cuisine. They are often cooked and used in dishes like tacos, salads, and as a vegetable side. Nopales have a slightly tangy flavor and a texture similar to green beans.

I decided not to use the tomatoes for this salad. I thought they would take away from the other ingredients I used, and I wanted a Southwestern flair.

I mixed both Romaine lettuce and spinach together, then I layered all the ingredients to make a colorful, pretty salad. I added the avocado slices and dressing right before serving. I served it with a spicy orange vinaigrette, which really brought everything together well.

Spicy Orange Vinaigrette

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup orange olive oil, optional

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup honey ginger balsamic vinaigrette

2 TBSP hot honey

dash cayenne pepper

cilantro

Throw everything into the food processor and blend until it is all blended and emulsified together.

This was a pretty, easy-peasy salad that didn’t take much time to make at all. It was a perfect match for the rest of the menu, and thoroughly enjoyed. Things don’t have to be difficult to be delicious. As I often say, sometimes simple is best.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Keep it simple (remember the K.I.S.S rule- the second S usually stands for stupid) and make the most out of everyday. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.