The Kensington Sun and Salsa Festival is soon upon us and in honour of the festivities, we’ve come up with our own delicious recipe for a “salsa” inspired summer salad. Perfect on a hot day, for lunch or dinner on the patio! If you have the opportunity, stop by your local farmer’s market to check out what fresh, seasonal produce is available to use. Beautiful heirloom or mini jewel tomatoes would be perfect in this salsa salad recipe. There’s nothing healthier, or tastier, than freshly picked summer veggies!
Salsa Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- 3 heads Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
- 1 avocado, roughly chopped
- 1 tomato, roughly chopped
- 1 corn cob, kernels removed (if fresh corn is not available, feel free to use canned)
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 398mL can black beans, rinsed and drained
- tortilla chips, as needed (preferably baked or multigrain)
- Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (see recipe below)
Toss together all of the vegetables. Add as much vinaigrette as needed to lightly coat the lettuce and other ingredients, but don’t over-dress it. Plate, garnishing each salad with a handful of crumbled tortilla chips, the perfect “crouton” for a Mexican inspired salad!
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 limes, zest and juice
- 1 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 1/4-1/3 cup neutral flavored oil (such as a light olive oil or grapeseed oil)
- 2-3 tbsp. freshly chopped cilantro* (see note below)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Whisk together the lime juice, zest and dijon mustard. Gradually whisk in the oil, stirring constantly so that the vinaigrette emulsifies. Once you have added about 1/4 cup of it, taste the vinaigrette to see how acidic it is. If you think it needs the extra oil to balance it out, feel free to add it. Finally, whisk in the cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.
*If you’re not a fan of cilantro, feel free to replace it with another fresh herb such as parsley or basil.