Mexican Salad with Citrus Dressing

This Mexican salad is served with a sweet and tangy citrus dressing. It’s perfect for when you want a light lunch. For dinner, add gluten-free Garden of Eatin’ Blue Corn Tortilla Chips, Spicy Hot Salsa, Guacamole, and Vegan Sour Cream.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 (15oz) can Eden Organic Black Beans or other brand
• 1 (10oz) bag frozen Cascadian Farm Organic Sweet Corn or other brand, thawed
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, stems removed and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small head of iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1 green chili pepper, thinly sliced, to garnish

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup agave nectar light
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2-inch piece ginger root, peeled
• 1 teaspoons Simply Organic Ground Mustard or other brand
• 1/4 teaspoon Simply Organic Ground Tumeric or other brand
• 1/4 teaspoon Simply Organic Ground White Pepper or other brand
• 1/4 teaspoon Spice Lab Himalayan Salt or other brand, finely ground
• dash of Simply Organic Cayenne Pepper or other brand

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, gently toss all the salad ingredients, except for the lettuce and green chili pepper.
2. Place the shredded lettuce on serving plates, top each with the beans, corn, and red pepper mixture, and garnish with sliced green chili pepper. Set aside.
3. Blend all the salad dressing ingredients in a high powered blender, on low speed then high for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour into a bottle, secure with a tight fitting lid, and serve with salad. Dressing stores refrigerated for up to 4 days. Shake before use.

Variations:

1. Top with Daiya Mozzarella Style Shreds or other brand of vegan and gluten-free shredded cheese.
2. Top with a “meaty” walnut topping. To make this topping, place in a food processor bowl 3/4 cup walnuts, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon finely ground Himalayan salt, and a dash of chipotle powder. Pulse 10 or so times until finely chopped, then sprinkle a desired amount onto each serving of salad.

Yield:
Makes 4 servings of salad, and about 1 cup dressing

Kitchen Tip: When short on time canned beans are ideal, but if you have the time to cook dry beans you’ll first want to sort the beans to remove any stones that can sometimes be found. Next, pour the beans into a large colander and rinse under running water, then soak them overnight in more than enough cold water to partly cover them. Drain, transfer to a large pot. To cook the beans, add enough water to cover the them more than inch, bring water to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally until tender. The amount of time it takes depends on the type of beans. See our Legumes Cooking Chart for the cooking time and approximate yield. Drain, rinse, and either serve immediately with a little pure maple syrup or Himalayan salt to taste, or store refrigerated until ready for use in salads and other recipes. . Also, black beans can stain the food they are mixed with, leaving you with a muddy looking dish, but you can avoid this by triple rinsing the beans before adding them in. If you like this kitchen tip go to: More Kitchen Tips. There you will find a variety helpful tips to make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable.