Summer Taco Salad

Summer Taco Salad

This taco salad is fresh, tangy, flavorful, and hearty enough to be a meal. The dressing gets its creamy consistency from Greek yogurt, jazzed up with lime juice and chipotles in adobo.

Ingredients:

Which beans to use? We like creamy and firm beans like Bayo or Flor de Junio. 

 
The details

Serves: 6-8
Time: 40 minutes (plus bean cooking)
Cookware: rimmed baking sheet, grill, small bowl, large bowl
 
What you’ll need
Chipotle-yogurt dressing
2 garlic cloves, finely minced 
Juice of 1 large lime
¾ cup Greek yogurt
½ to 1 chipotle with a little adobo sauce, finely chopped (if you don’t want that much heat, skip the chipotle and use 1-2 tsp sauce)
¾ tsp honey
½ tsp coarse salt, plus more to taste
The rest
8 corn tortillas, cut into thirds and then ½ inch strips
Olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
3 ears of corn, shucked and silk removed
1 head romaine lettuce, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and roughly chopped in 1-inch pieces
1-½ cups of strained beans from a batch of beans (cooked according to our guide)
1 avocado, cubed
6 radishes, thinly sliced
⅓ cup grated cotija cheese, plus more for serving
Toasted pepitas, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

 

Directions:

Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine garlic and lime juice; set aside for 5 minutes to let the garlic flavor mellow. Stir in remaining ingredients and season with salt to taste.

Make the tortilla strips: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place tortilla strips on a rimmed baking sheet; toss with a little olive oil and season with salt. Spread in a single layer and bake until golden and crisp, stirring halfway through, 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

Grill the corn: Heat the grill over medium-high. Brush ears of corn with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning occasionally, until kernels are tender and charred in spots, 10-12 minutes. (Alternatively, you can broil the ears of corn, turning occasionally until tender and charred.) Once cooled enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs. 

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, toss lettuce and kale with half the dressing. Add corn kernels, beans, avocado, radishes, and cotija cheese. Toss gently to combine. Add more dressing to taste and season with salt. To serve, garnish with tortilla strips, roasted pepitas, and lime wedges, and top with more cotija cheese.

Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet Potato Salad

Thanks to the power combination of sweet potatoes, edamame, corn, and pepitas all tossed together in a rich yogurt-based dressing this salad will sustain you throughout the afternoon.

Yield: serves 6

Ingredients

2 large (1.5 pounds) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, quartered
1 cup frozen, shelled edamame
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 shallot, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)
1/3 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

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Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and simmer until fork tender (but not mushy), about 20 minutes. In the last 3 to 4 minutes add the edamame and corn. Drain and set aside to cool.

In a large salad bowl whisk together the yogurt, oil, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the red pepper, shallot, cilantro or parsley, and pumpkin seeds.

Allow the sweet potatoes to cool then chop into 1/2-inch cubes and add to the bowl along with the edamame and corn. Toss until well combined.

Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve at room temperature or chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.