Southwest Salad Recipe Essay Example

If one is looking for a healthy yet delicious meal, this article has the best recipe for the southwest salad. Salads have been given a bad reputation for a long time because of the depictions that they have to be boring and simple. Salads do not have to be just lettuce and dressing; they could also be quite appetizing if one knows how to accommodate them with great toppings. Therefore, this recipe is the best when it comes to having bold taste and a strong flavor from its great toppings. 

This salad is known for being vegan friendly and being quite tasty for meat lovers too. This is a beginner level recipe that takes only about half an hour to achieve. Starting with the ingredients needed to be gathered for the meal: 2 cups of the lettuce of your choice (romaine is recommended), 1/4 can of sweet kernel corn, 1/4 can of black beans, cherry tomatoes, chopped peppers, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, and the dressing of your choice. Now one might be asking self, “how does this salad appeal to meat eaters?” Well, you have the choice to add any meat of our choice on top. If you are trying to stay more on the healthier side, grilled chicken is your best option. 

Beginning with your veggies, you will want to clean them as you would any other greens you buy from a store to ensure food safety. Next, chop the lettuce and dice peppers if they are not already. Usually, if you buy a store-bought salad mix in a bag, the lettuce will already come chopped. Proceeding to corn and beans, drain any access liquid from the can, as much as possible. Failure to do so will lead to fastening the age of lettuce when added. Followed by getting a skillet and adding about a tablespoon of oil setting it to a low-medium heat. Next, you will want to mix your corn, beans, and peppers together and let them sit until they are heated up and cooked to your liking. This should not take more than 6 minutes. Also, stir often to ensure that the mixture is not sticking to the skillet. 

The next step is optional for vegan eaters. For meat eaters, get an additional skillet and two chicken breasts the seasoning that you will use. The recommended seasonings are ground black pepper, seasoning salt, and garlic powder. For an extra spicy kick, use paprika and chili powder. Be sure that you clean your meat first and practice proper food handling. The preparer would then cut up the chicken breast into even slices or dice. Thinner slices can ensure that the meat will cook throughout and not just the outside layer. Moving onto seasoning your meat, season evenly on both sides. Once finished with seasoning the chicken breast, grab an additional skillet and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Let your chicken grill on a medium-high heat. Once finished, let the chicken sit for about 5-7 minutes. 

The last step would be to assemble the salad. Do not just throw all the ingredients into a bowl, dress it up. Add the lettuce into the salad bowl followed by the mixture of corn, beans, and peppers. Next add the washed cherry tomatoes. If decided on adding meat, add it on top. And now for the ingredient that can make or break your salad, dressing. Be bold with your choice, but also keep in mind that those added calories can take away the healthiness of the meal. A simple serving of ranch dressing is about 145 calories, according to google. An even more bold choice would be to eat without any dressing. This salad is tasty enough to go without. 

There you have the infamous southwest salad. A meal on the less time-consuming side. Things to keep in mind would be mindful when adding additional toppings to keep the salad a healthy choice and monitor the calories of the toppings. Enjoy!