We begin March with dreams of spring and fresh food. We may have to wait a bit for spring, but fresh food can be ours year round, thanks to generous markets and clever cooks!This week, we're offering a couple beautiful salads that are packed with flavor, color, and texture to get you through those last few weeks of winter … and the messy part of spring! Our second salad puts the flavors of Mexico on your plate with a whole lotta freshness. Crispy pulled pork or shredded chicken give it enough substance to be a main course meal.
I like the combination of kale and spinach because they play well together and hold up on the table and in the refrigerator. You can opt for any color of peppers that bring you joy - work in a bit of hot pepper if you like things that way too. I opted for sliced large red tomato, but halved cherry or grape tomatoes would also be lovely in this salad. If you don't want to use pork or chicken or just don't have any on hand, you can give this main dish salad more oomph by adding two avocados instead of one. You might be able to tweak the dressing a bit, but I just adore it as is and highly recommend making it as indicated before attempting tweaks.
I often just serve a salad like this on its own, although warm corn muffins made with chopped green chiles would be a nice winter touch for his meal. Because it packs a bit of heat, try pairing it with a chilled iced tea, lemonade, or cider. Enjoy!
Chipotle Crisped Pork Salad
- Pulled pork or shredded chicken - to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale
- 3 cups torn spinach
- 2 cobs of corn or ½ cup frozen corn - cut off the cob or thawed, respectively
- ½ green bell pepper - cored and sliced
- ½ orange bell pepper - cored and sliced
- 1-2 tomatoes, sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced pickled or fresh red onions
- 1 avocado - seeded and sliced
- 3 tablespoons toasted pepitas
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon hot honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 chipotle chile - chopped finely
- 1-2 tablespoons adobo - adjust to your tastes
- ¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons salt - to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons black pepper - to taste
Crisp your pulled pork or shredded chicken in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
In a large bowl, combine the next 7 ingredients (kale through onions) and toss to combine. Add the avocado and pepitas and chill while you make the dressing.
To make the dressing, combine the next 11 ingredients (olive oil through black pepper) together in a food chopper or processor until well blended. Drizzle the dressing over the salad to serve!
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 20 minutes