Southwest Salad

Ingredients

3-4 cups fresh greens
1/2 cup corn (frozen is fine, just defrost)
2 scallions, light green parts only, chopped
1/2 avocado
1 red or yellow pepper, cut into matchsticks
3 slices jalepeño from a can, diced
1/2 tomato, diced, or 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, diced
1/2 recipe cornbread (see below), or 3 thick slices of store-bought cornbread
2 slices jalepeño jack cheese
Tomato-cilantro dressing (see below)

Directions:

Make the dressing and the cornmeal croutons.

Cut the avocados into large chunks and toss carefully with a few spoonfuls of the dressing to prevent browning.
Arrange the greens in a bowl with the corn, scallions, avocado, pepper, jalepeño, tomato, and cilantro artfully arranged on top. Add the warm or room-temperature croutons. Sprinkle with the dressing and toss just before serving.

For the croutons:
Cut the cornbread into 1-inch squares. If you have time, let them dry uncovered for about a day. Then preheat the oven to 375°F and toast for about 10 minutes. Dice the jack cheese and sprinkle over the croutons, pushing them into one corner of the pan, so not too much cheese misses the croutons. Return to the oven until the cheese is melted. Cool slightly, then add to the salad.

For the dressing:
In keeping with the spirit of “healthy choices,” this tasty dressing uses a light hand with the oil. Agave nectar is a sweetener that dissolves really well into liquids.

Ingredients
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 scallions, white and green parts, coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
juice from 1/2 a lemon
dash cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon agave nectar of 1 tablespoon sugar dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup canned tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a blender or mini food processor, combine the cilantro, salt, scallions, lemon juice, cayenne, and yogurt. Blend until smooth, adding 3-4 tablespoons of water as needed. Put in the sweetener and the tomatoes, and continue to blend until very smooth (the mixture will turn a balsamic-vinaigrette-type brown). With the motor going, slowly add the olive oil. Taste for salt. Keep covered in the refrigerator until serving.