Hearty Salad with Mexi Green Goddess Dressing & Crispy Tortillas

As winter stretches on, I'm increasingly desperate for fresh veggies and herbs. This hearty salad 'ticks all the boxes', as Paul Hollywood is fond of saying on the Great British Bake Off. On that note, although I'm genuinely sad that Prue's leaving the show as I've grown to love her and will miss her wonderfully uppercrust accent, calm presence, and exceedingly ugly outfits, I'm very curious to see what Nigella Lawson will be like, aren't you?

But back to this delicious salad. I used some of the seasoned black beans that I make in large quantities in the Instant Pot because it magically imparts a lot of flavor with minimal effort (though you do have to plan ahead as it takes over an hour.) Every month or so, I'll cook up 5-6 cups of dried beans at a time in the Pot, then freeze the leftovers in glass quart jars to defrost when I need them. Very handy! But you can absolutely use a can of good old black beans here, too.

I had part of a bag of corn tortillas that were growing stale in the fridge which I cut into strips and fried to add a delicious crispy element and avoid wasting food. You could sub tortilla chips if you're not in the mood for frying things. A sprinkling of roasted, salted pepitas added even more crunch and a nice nuttiness.

Lettuce, grated carrots, chopped red onion, and some surprisingly sweet grape tomatoes made up the body of the salad. And, last but definitely not least, I tossed it all with a generous amount of this Mexican-Inspired Green Goddess dressing to coat each bite with creamy, rich, herby, garlicky goodness.

I first tasted green goddess dressing back in those hazy, hard-to-recall days before I had kids when my husband and I lived in northern California. It was love at first bite—so much flavor, so unusual. 

This Mexican-inspired Green Goddess dressing is a departure in many ways but has the same addictively herby, creamy punch of the original. I've subbed lime for lemon, roasted salted pepitas for anchovies, cilantro for tarragon, and avocado and Greek yogurt for mayo and sour cream. I've also added some smokey heat and a little sweetness by adding a charred jalapeño pepper and a splash of sriracha. The result is really tasty. 

As we've been running our woodstove non-stop for last few months, I charred the jalapeño on top of it, turning frequently with a pair of tongs but if you live somewhere warmer or have a different heating system, you can also blacken the pepper over a gas burner or char it under the broiler. A large ripe avocado is a must for this dressing/recipe. I hope you enjoy both the dressing and the salad. 

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Black Bean & Tortilla Salad with Mexi Green Goddess Dressing
Serves 4

For the dressing

Ingredients

• 1 ripe avocado, skin and pit removed
• 1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1 large lime (or 2 small)
• Plain yogurt
• Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, washed and dried
• 1/4 cup salted, roasted pepitas
• 1 charred or roasted jalapeño pepper, stem, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup water to thin

Directions

1. No need for nit-picky prep here: add all the ingredients except for the water to the bowl of a mini food processor or blender and process until smooth, adding water to thin the dressing to your liking as you go.
2. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. You can store this in a glass jar with a tight lid for a couple of days in the fridge.

For the salad

Ingredients

• 1 head of romaine or red leaf lettuce, washed, dried, and chopped or torn
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cupful of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered, depending on their size
• 1/4 cup roasted, salted pepitas
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 cups crispy tortilla strips or chips

Directions

1. Place the lettuce, carrot, onions, tomatoes and beans in either a large bowl or on a good-sized platter. Toss with several heaping tablespoons of the mexi green goddess dressing until all ingredients are coated. Top with the tortilla strips and roasted pepitas and serve.

You might also like:

Red Cabbage, Lime & Cilantro Slaw

Quinoa Salad with Corn, Lime & Jalapeño

Esquites Salad (aka Mexican Street Corn in a Bowl)

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Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes + Black Beans

This stew is one of the best things I've made this winter. The mix of flavors is delicious - smoky, a little sour, and a little sweet. The combination of  black beans, sweet potatoes, and chicken makes for a hearty and healthy stew packed with protein and nutrients. 🍠🫘

This stew is the roundabout result of the chicken I roasted for dinner late last week. After we'd eaten our fill, I stripped the meat off of the carcass and made a pot of stock with it (simple directions here if you want 'em.) 

The next day, I had leftover chicken and a mason jar full of great stock. Normally, I'd make a pot of my go-to chicken soup (celery, carrots, onions, lots of fresh dill, and noodles) but I'm really tired of it and decided to put my spin on a recipe I spotted on Bowl of Delicious, a blog I've recently discovered and am enjoying written by Elizabeth Lindemann. I've made a few small changes to her recipe like swapping cilantro in for the parsley and adding lime juice to the mix. 

You'll need chicken, stock, black beans, sweet potato, onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes (stewed, pureed, fire roasted will all work), smoked paprika, cilantro, salt and pepper, and a lime.

Since the chicken is already cooked, the prep is pretty easy - just mince garlic and onions, cut up the sweet potato, and prep the cilantro.

Once the soup is done, stir in the cilantro, squeeze some lime juice on top and serve with sliced avocado. This stew goes really well with this cilantro lime-spiked brown rice or, if you're pressed for time, you could also just top with some tortilla chips.

I tried this stew and rice out on my book club this afternoon and both were a hit. 🥣Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice

This rice is inspired by a Chipotle offering although I haven't had a chance to try their version so I can't tell you how different or similar this one is.

I've modified it by adding all the flavor boosting tricks I employ when I make a pot of brown rice.

Namely:

1. Start by sauteeing some minced onion and garlic in olive oil for a couple of minutes,
2. Then add the washed, drained rice to the pot and stir it around for another minute or two until the grains start to smell nutty;
3. Finally, cook the rice in some broth to give it a bit of extra flavor.

To turn my usual pot of brown rice into this lime- and cilantro-spiked version, I include the lime zest with the onion in the pre-sauteeing step, then add fresh-squeezed lime juice, a generous amount of chopped cilantro, and a spoonful of olive oil when I fluff the rice grains.

¡Buen provecho!

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-- print recipe --

Cilantro Lime-Spiked Brown Basmati Rice

Ingredients
Serves 8

• 2 cups of long grain brown basmati rice, rinsed and drained
• 4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
• 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, washed and dried
• Zest and juice of 1 lime, separated

Directions

1. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers and add the onion, garlic, and lime zest. Sautee, stirring regularly, for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
2. Add the drained rice to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for another 1-2 minutes until the grains look dry and smell a little toasted and nutty.
3. Add the broth/stock and the salt, stir once and bring to a boil. Then cover the pot and lower the heat. Simmer on low for 25-30 minutes, until the rice is done.
4. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered for 5-10 minuts. 
5. Uncover and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasonings, as needed.

You might also like:

Sticky Rice With Mango

Herbed Cucumber & Rice Salad with Field Garlic

Wild Ramp & Lemon Risotto

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