Obviously, you can also make a non-spicy mild version of this. Originally, I planned to call this salad a healthier cobb salad and replace Mayo-based dressing with the avocado dressing, and replace bacon with sweet potatoes. But too many things got added and I felt it may have departed quite a bit from the cobb salad. So, let’s call it a Tex-Mex Salad instead.

Really, you can add just about anything to it! I tend to get most creative with my recipes when I start running out of groceries and its time to use up little bits of different things I have in the crisper drawer.

Give this salad a try. So many textures, fresh flavours and a nice level of heat balanced by the creamy avocado dressing work very well together!

DifficultyBeginner

Yields4 Servings

1 large heart of rommaine lettuce, washed, spinned dry well and chopped

2 tomatoes, seeded and cut

1 can of beans, rinsed and drained well

1-2 cups corn (boiled frozen corn or boiled fresh corn cut from the cobb)

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 3/4" pieces

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp spice rub, recipe follows (more to taste)

1 tbsp oil

1 jalapeno, sliced (seeds and membranes removed for a milder version)

3 tbsp red onions, white onions, shallots or green onions, minched finely, or combinaiton of any of these

1-2 cups cooked chiken, diced

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Salad Dressing:

1 avocado

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup Greek yogurt

¼ cup water (and more as needed)

1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

½ tsp kosher salt, and more to taste

dash of hot sauce, optional, to taste

½ cup cilantro leaves, totally optional, omit if you don't like the taste of cilantro

Tex-Mex Spice mix:

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chipotle powder

1 tsp black pepper

¼ tsp fine table salt

pinch of cayenne pepper, optional, for extra spice

Preheat the oven to 400.

For the spice rub:
Combine all of the ingredients together and set aside. You will have plenty leftover and it could be used to season many other dishes.

For the dressing:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or a food processor. Process until smooth. Add more water if needed, only enough to help process the mixture into a smooth creamy dressing. Place into a container or a plastic food storage bag immediately, to limit the exposure of this avocado dressing to air and avoid browning.

Place tomatoes in a colander and season with a pinch of salt. This will help drain some of their juices and prevent them from making the salad too soggy. Allow to drain for at least 10 minutes.

Dry sweet potato chunks with paper towels. Rub with oil and season with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking. Your sweet potatoes should be tender, easily pierced when tested with a fork, with golden brown skin. Remove from the oven and season with 1/2 tsp of your spice rub, or more to taste.

Assemble the salad - place your lettuce into a large bowl. Top with the rest of your ingredients - chicken, tomatoes, corn, beans, sweet potatoes, onions of choice, jalapenos. Drizzle with the avocado dressing. Enjoy!

NOTE:

The spice rub for the sweet potatoes is quite hot and is not for the faint of heart. Either omit entirely or season the potatoes very lightly. Taste your potatoes and leave as is or season further according to taste. You can also decrease the amount of Chipotle for a milder version.

Ingredients