Southwest Salad With Lime and Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

This is a super hearty salad loaded with quinoa, beans and legumes. It is high in both proteins and fibre content, filling you up for hours.

I love to serve this salad as a main dish, but it also works as a stunning side dish at a potluck gathering. This salad can easily be made vegetarian or vegan by omitting the chicken and substituting with vegan cheese.

While I have included a recipe for a Fresh Herb Vinaigrette, feel free to use your favourite homemade or store-bought dressing. Salsa (or Chipotle) Ranch Dressing from the store is a quick alternate that pairs well with the southwest flavour ingredients in the salad.

Enjoy,

Krista

Southwest Salad With Lime and Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

Ingredients

For the Salad

2 heads of romaine lettuce, chopped into horizontal pieces, then separated into strips

1/2 cup cooked quinoa*

1/4 cup green onions (scallions), sliced on an angle

1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped + reserve some for garnish (use basil if you do not like cilantro)

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), rinsed

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 cup sharp aged cheddar, shredded

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cups grilled chicken, cubed (see below for method)

1 avocado, pit removed and sliced *

Crumbled tortillas, for garnish

1 lime, sliced for garnish

Optional: toasted pepitas (more crunch), grilled corn (when in season)

For the Grilled Chicken

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into cubes after cooked)

1 tablespoon Baja seasoning (or any 1 Tablespoon combo of cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin and paprika)

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

For the Lime and Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (use basil if you do not like cilantro)

1 lime, juice + zest (do this first)

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 tablespoon honey

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method

For the Quinoa

Ahead of time, rinse about 1/3 cup of raw quinoa until the water runs clear. Place rinsed quinoa into a small sauce pan with 2/3 thirds of fresh water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir, then reduce temperature to simmer, or lowest setting. Cover and let quinoa simmer for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is cooked. Keep an eye on the quinoa so it does not burn, as it’s a very small quantity.

I tend to cook more quinoa than I need and use it throughout the week in different dished (as a guide, add double the water to quinoa ratio, for example 1/2 cup raw quinoa:1 cup water or 1 cup raw quinoa:2 cups water)

For the Grilled Chicken

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken breasts on a parchment lined baking sheet. Rub Baja seasoning or 1 tablespoon of optional spice combinations onto the chicken. Add salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil over top of breasts and rub in with clean hands. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees. Allow chicken to cool, then cut into cube sized pieces.

For the Salad

In a large serving platter, layer ingredients starting with romaine lettuce, then add a layer of quinoa, green onions and cilantro on top.

Add the next six ingredients in rows diagonally over the top: garbanzo beans, black beans, cheddar, tomatoes, chicken cubes and avocado slices. You will have 6 rows in total.

In the centre row arrange tortilla crumbles in the middle and garnish salad with extra cilantro. Place lime slices around outside edge of the salad.

Right before serving, drizzle vinaigrette over top of salad. Squeeze limes over salad after serving.

For the Lime and Fresh Herb Vinaigrette

In an airtight container add cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil, while whisking to combine. Dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated.

Recipe Notes:

*If preparing salad ahead of time, wait until just before serving to add the avocado slices, so they does not oxidize and turn brown. After slicing the avocado, squeeze a bit of lime juice on top to prevent any discolouration.