The Best Damn Salad Ever!

Bold statement people! Bold statement! Yes, as of now, this salad is the best damn salad I have ever made. Yes, I said damn! Such a perfect word to express utter enthusiasm! Maybe it's because of my love of all food Mexican (if you don't believe me, check out how many Mexican recipes I have posted) or maybe I am just that good...just kidding. I served this for dinner last night and my husband and I pretty much ate silently...and it's not because we have nothing to say to one another...it's because we were too busy scarfing down our food!

I served this with shrimp, but I actually think I will try mahi mahi next time, which will soak up the marinade better. You can really use any protein you would like, but baja-style equates to seafood. Also, I am going to give you the recipe for the marinade and the salad dressing, however, for the salad, I will give you a breakdown of all the ingredients I used, and you can decide how much, or how little, you would prefer for you salad creation.

And of course, a tune from a band featured in a webisode before, Good Old War...this song makes me think of summer. I mean, the song is titled "Coney Island!"



Until next time, cheers and happy eating!


Baja Salad with Cilantro-Vinaigrette

For the marinade:

2 tbspn olive oil
1 tbspn lime juice
1 1.2 tspn honey
1 tbspn chipotle peppers in adobe sauce (use a little less if you are sensitive to spice)
1/2 tspn garlic powder
1/2 tspn cumin
salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Marinade protein for at least 1 hour.

For the salad dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbspn red wine vinegar
2 1/2 tbspn lime juice
1 tbspn honey
1 1/2 tspn jalapeno pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
pinch of cumin
salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender. Allow salad to sit in the refrigerator for about an hour. Give it a good stir before you serve.

For the salad, I used:

Romaine lettuce, chopped
red onion, diced
red pepper, julienned
avocado
canned black beans, rinsed
canned sweet corn
crushed tortilla chips, chili or lime flavor preferably
shredded cheddar cheese