Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cinco de Mayo Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing

This salad was inspired by the Mexican Caesar Salad at El Torito Restaurant.

I used to always buy the dressing from the restaurant, but the one nearby closed, so I've had to learn how to make a pepita dressing at home.



This salad is perfect to serve along side carne asada or fish tacos for Cinco de Mayo--or any day!




Make a salad with all the fixings--romaine & red leaf lettuce, red cabbage, tomatoes, black olives, yellow peppers, black beans, corn, etc.

Make it with everything you like in it.



Here are the ingredients for the dressing:

2 anaheim chiles, roasted and peeled (canned or fresh)
2 cups avocado
1/3 cup roasted pepitas
1/3 cup cotija cheese
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 bunches fresh cilantro
1 cup water

 Put all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend.

Add enough water, a little at a time, until the dressing turns itself over in the blender.



Canned Ortega chiles are a lot less trouble than roasting fresh.

 No need to cut them up, they'll get blended.



1 teaspoon pepper, unless you're a pepper lover, then add 2.



Add 1 teaspoon salt.

The cotija cheese is salty, so 1 teaspoon is enough.



Add 1/3 cup crumbled cheese.



This avocado is starting to get a little old, but the skin still comes off in one piece.

When they get older, the skin breaks into pieces--that's when it's better to scoop out the flesh with a spoon.



About 2 cups of avocado is about 3 medium sized ones.



Here's a good one, the skin comes away easily and clean.

Perfectly ripe.



The 2 cups doesn't need to be firmly packed.



Add the pepitas and cilantro into the blender.

Then add the lemon and lime juice.



Blend.



Add water, a little at a time, until the dressing is mixed thoroughly.



This is a little thick, but it's good like that, too.



You can make this a day ahead, the lime juice will keep it from turning brown.



Mix the dressing into the salad.

That's looking good!



Fry a few thinly sliced tortillas in hot oil to make some crispies for the top of the salad.



I like to add some cotija cheese crumbles and sliced avocado in my salad, even though it's in the dressing.


¡Buen provecho!


(Enjoy your meal!)




***




This is my niece Paige.



When she was little, she said a lot of funny things that we all remember.

We call them Paige-isms.

We all say them from time to time and I remember Paige at the age she said them.


When Paige was about this age, she said,

"I seen him bottom."

She saw Grandpa, in a towel, coming out of the bathroom after a shower.


We say that whenever we see something really funny.



Paige-ism:

"Let me pitch."

The kids were playing baseball in Grandma's front yard.

Paige must have said, "Let me pitch." a hundred times.


We say that whenever we want our turn at something.



Paige-ism:

"Aaaaaaaah---CO-CO-NUT!"


Paige loves See's candy.

When she was little she used to gaze into a box of See's candy and carefully make her choice.

She bit into a chocolate, and yelled,

"Aaaaaaaah--CO-CO-NUT!"

While running to the bathroom to spit out the candy.


We say that whenever there's something we really don't like.



Rick, Karen, Gary and I went to a benefit concert several years ago to see a wide array of artists sing for a cause.

I don't really remember who was there or what the cause was.

But I definitely remember one artist.

Karen said,

"Aaaaaaah--CO-CO-NUT!'" 

When Dwight Yoakam started singing.


Paige-isms pop up at the funniest times.


Gary and I traveled to San Jose over the weekend and listened to a country radio station broadcasting from Bakersfield.

When I heard a song by Dwight Yoakam, I thought of Karen, Paige,

And coconut.



Paige and her family now live in Hawaii.

We don't get to see her often enough.

She will be visiting this summer for a family wedding.


We're looking forward to seeing her.

And maybe look for another Paige-ism.



Love you, Paige!

Can't wait to see you!




No printable recipe for this one, yet.

4 comments:

  1. OMG, Karolyn!!! We used to have one of those "tin" cups when I was growing up!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Had a question for your food pictures other than the natural lighting what other do you use for your photography.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cristy, thank you for your comment. I think natural lighting is the most important--I try and take most photos from about noon to 2 pm, that's when the light is the best in my kitchen. If I am running a little late, I may use a white board, which, for me, is a sheet of white foam core poster board. I noticed that my photos improved a lot when I got a 50 mm prime lens--the focus is crisper and the colors seem prettier. I still have a lot of learning to do, many of my photos get rejected from food sites. Hope that helps!

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  3. Thank you. I think they are great!

    ReplyDelete