Ensalada Mexicana With Picoso Dressing

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 6 -8 cups romaine lettuce or 6 -8 cups mixed greens, washed, dried and torn
• 5 -6 yellow cherry tomatoes or 5 -6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 (15 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 small lemon cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion, sliced and rings separated
• 1/2 cup cubed queso blanco or 1/2 cup cubed monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup tortilla chips, crumbled (read *note)
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon spanish smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 pinch freshly grated allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mexican oregano
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Recipe

• 1 *note: you can use store bought tortilla chips or as i did, prepare your own. using either corn or flour tortillas, cut up into thin strips and bake on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until toasted and crunchy. set aside to cool.
• 2 salad dressing: in a non-reactive bowl combine all the ingredients and using an immersion blender, mix well. whisk salad dressing before serving.
• 3 salad: in a large bowl combine the salad ingredients. toss with a little bit of the dressing to coat.
• 4 sprinkle tortilla chips on top to garnish. grate some freshly ground black pepper on top.
• 5 serve the remaining salad dressing on the side.