Chopped Salad with Agave-Lime Dressing

Chopped Salad with Agave-Lime Dressing

My daughter recently underwent a simple procedure as an outpatient, and for behaving so beautifully for all of it, we let her pick what I would make for dinner. Her choice? Quesadillas. Now for her, cheese was all she wanted, but I knew I needed more than just that. I decided to cut up some chicken breasts and toss them with a packet of enchilada mix and a little water, they marinated for a few hours before dinner and then I just cooked them up in a frying pan with a little canola oil.

In an attempt to balance out a heavy meal of cheese and chicken, I rummaged around on the internet looking for something. I found a salad recipe that I based this one off of. As usual, I didn’t have everything the original called for, so I fiddled my own way. I am presenting it here in a single version, however when I made it I double it because of my family size. However, it is hearty enough to be a meal in itself.

Salad

2 ½ cups chopped romaine

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup seeded and chopped tomato

1 can corn kernels, rinsed and drained (or a little over a cup fresh or frozen and thawed)

½ cup thinly sliced radishes

1 ripe avocado, diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Agave-Lime Dressing

½ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. agave nectar

¼ cup fresh cilantro (the stems have the best flavor)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 Tbsp chopped jalapeño pepper (omit the seeds for less heat)

½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp ground pepper

Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. In a food processor or blender combine dressing ingredients and blend well.  Pour dressing over salad and mix well.