Southwest Pepper Jack Salad with Creamy Avocado Salsa Dressing

Salad that is packed with delicious ingredients and then topped with a delicious homemade dressing. This salad works great as a meat free lunch or as a side salad. You could also add some chicken to the salad and serve it for dinner.

Southwest Pepper Jack Salad with Creamy Avocado Salsa Dressing

Ingredients

Creamy Avocado Salsa Dressing

• 1 small avocado, peeled and sliced
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 lime, juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
Salad

• 1 1/2 heads romaine lettuce
• 1 cup frozen sweet corn, thawed
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 15 ounces low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• tortilla strips

Cooking Directions

1. In a blender add all of the dressing ingredients and blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Blend in additional milk to reach desired consistency. Chill in the refrigerator until needed.
2. In a large bowl add in the lettuce and top with all of the remaining salad ingredients, except the tortilla strips.
3. Top each serving with some tortilla strips and salad dressing.

Enjoy!!!

Notes:

I used my homemade Seasoned Baked Tortilla Strips for this salad.

I made this for lunch and it served 6 people.

Nutrition Facts
Serves: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories 372
Total Fat		19.6g
Saturated Fat		6.2g
Polyunsaturated Fat		2.3g
Monounsaturated Fat		3.8g
Trans Fat		0g
Cholesterol		27.8mg
Sodium		325.1mg
Potassium		806mg
Total Carbohydrates		33.6g
Dietary Fiber		8.8g
Sugars		5.8g
Protein		13.7g
Vitamin A 23.89% Vitamin C 77.53%
Calcium 46.21% Iron 12.9%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from Carl's Bad Cravings.