[This is Part 3 in our Catering series. To view previous posts, click here.]
Last Fall, I (Dave) went to a conference for work at Disneyland Hotel (rough…I know). The food that the hotel served was so incredibly good. It was better than any catered food I had ever had before. One of the meals they served was a Mexican-style meal, and it helped to inspire the food we served for the party. They served a salad with jicama in it, and that was my first time ever eating jicama. If you have not had it before, it is a cool and crunchy root vegetable with a mild taste. We added some jicama to the salad we served and it was the mystery ingredient of the night. We had about 10 people ask us what the “crunchy white stuff” was in the salad.
The jicama, along with the other ingredients, made for a pretty amazing salad! It was crisp with bright and fresh flavors and was the perfect salad for a Mexican-style meal.
(photo courtesy of The Wedding Format)
Mexican Chopped Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
By Published: May 22, 2012
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Prep: 10 mins
- Cook: 10 mins
- Ready In: 20 mins
A light, fresh, and crisp salad perfect for serving with Mexican food.
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 cup red cabbage chopped
- 1 cup jicama chopped
- 2 medium scallions chopped
- 1/4 cup cojita cheese grated
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (for dressing)
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (for dressing)
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped, (for dressing)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (for dressing)
- 2 teaspoons agave nectar (for dressing)
- 1 teaspoon Green Tabasco Sauce (for dressing)
- 1 pinch salt (for dressing)
- 4 small corn tortillas sliced into strips, (for croutons)
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin (for croutons)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° F.
Cut the tortillas into small strips and place them on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a sprinkle of cumin. Bake until the tortillas brown slightly and become crispy (about 10-12 minutes).
- Mix all the salad ingredients together.
- Place all dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined and smooth.
Top the salad with the dressing and the corn tortilla strips.
This salad was not your typical, boring salad! It could even stand alone as it’s own meal if you added some shrimp or chicken to it. Give it a try!
I will definately be making this salad! Can’t wait for the pork loin and quinoa stuffed peppers recipe! Keep up the great blog!
Thanks Kari!
sounds amazing. Looks like you guys did a great job!!