Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

Makes 4 servings

As the weather starts to warm up a bit, one of the things we start eating a lot more for dinner are main-course salads, and one of our favorites is taco salad. I can’t really say that we have a set recipe we follow — usually, it’s just improvising based on what’s in our fridge and what looks good. There’s always some type of greens, assorted vegetables, shredded cheese, and some type of protein (black beans, pinto beans, or grilled chicken are the regulars.) Oh, and the dressing! I love this dressing: it’s a creamy yogurt dressing made with lime juice and zest, cilantro, cumin, and just a touch of honey…really terrific on the greens with the toppings.

ingredients

For the salad (go with what you like!):

protein — such as grilled chicken, grilled steak, beans, etc.
vegetables — such as colored peppers, lightly cooked corn, diced tomato, etc.
something from the onion family, like chopped scallions or chopped red onion
shredded red or green cabbage
cheese (a must!) — pepper jack, monterey jack, sharp cheddar, queso fresco, etc.
diced avocado
chopped cilantro
your favorite kind of salad greens
tortilla chips, either crumbled over or served alongside
sour cream, salsa, guacamole — you can serve the salad with a dollop of these toppings, or serve the salsa and guac on the side for chip dipping

For the Creamy Lime Dressing:

zest & juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons juice)
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

directions

1
Prep all your ingredients before dressing the greens, and have them ready to go.
2
Make the dressing — whisk together all the ingredients until well blended.
3
Wash and spin dry your salad greens, season them with a little coarse salt and pepper, then toss them with about 2/3 of the dressing. Divide the dressed greens among 4 plates, then top with whatever toppings you’re using. Spoon the remaining dressing over the top of each salad and serve.

Source: Eggs on Sunday