Chopped Southwest Salad

Ingredients

1 large head of Romaine lettuce - chopped into small pieces
1 cup of fresh tomatoes - diced
1 cup of thawed corn kernels
1/2 cup of canned black beans - rinsed and drained
1/3 cup of lightly salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 celery stalk - thinly sliced
1 green onion (only the white and light green parts) - thinly sliced

If you plan to make this salad ahead of time, layer the ingredients in a bowl and store with a moist paper towel on top of the lettuce.

From bottom to top:
tomatoes
black beans
corn
celery stalk
green onions
lettuce
add pepitas right before serving

For the dressing:

In a blender, combine:
1/2 cup of full fat Greek yogurt
(To make this recipe vegan, use a non-dairy alternative such as cashew cream)

2 cloves of garlic
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup of loosely packed cilantro leaves

Blend on a medium speed until the dressing looks smooth.

Once the dressing is uniformly green, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
(This makes enough dressing for plenty of salad.  Store this in the fridge for up to one week)

When you are ready to serve the salad, add two tablespoons of the dressing, the juice of half a lime, and toss well.  Add pepitas and serve with plenty of tortilla chips.  Add some roasted chicken for additional protein (for omnivores).

Enjoy!