Taste of the Ozarks: Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Southwestern Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Serves 2

Recipe courtesy: Dietitian Jill Trotman of Achieving Your Best

Salad Ingredients:

5-6 cups of lettuce

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup black beans (rinsed and drained)

½ cup chopped green/red/yellow peppers

½ cup chopped green onions

Place lettuce in the bottom of the bowl. Add tomatoes, black beans, tomatoes, peppers, and green onions. Toss. Add 1-2 TBSP of the cilantro lime dressing per serving.

(Optional add-ins: any other veggies you have, grilled chicken, grilled shrimp, shredded cheddar cheese). Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.

For the Cilantro Lime Dressing:

(Makes about ¾ cup dressing)

1 avocado

¼ cup Greek or regular plain yogurt

1 cup cilantro

1 clove of garlic, minced

¼-½ teaspoon of salt

1 squeeze of lime juice

¼-½ cup water to obtain the desired consistency

(If you like heat, add ½ jalapeno pepper)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Add water to obtain the desired consistency for your salad dressing. Trotman recommends serving the dressing the same day it's made. It will keep it's bright green color for about a day in the fridge. After 24 hours, the avocados will start to brown. You can give the dressing a quick blend to bring back the color a bit.