Taco Salad, the Remix

I love perusing the blogosphere for recipes. It's my favorite lunch pastime (besides eating of course). I stumbled upon this recipe for Taco Salad with Chipotle lime dressing and decided it would be perfect for a Bachelorette Finale ladies dinner.

Oh, and the weather was gorgeous so we ate outside!

I didn't take many pictures because I was busy cooking, but there's lots of pictures on the recipe link above.

This taco salad turned out to be a great, hearty, healthy summer meal. Ross grilled the chicken the night before, cutting prep time down the night of the dinner party. The lime juice in the cherry tomato/green onion mixture (I added cilantro too) provides a great acidity against the peppery dressing- and the quinoa soaks 'em both up nicely. I can't say I'd ever roasted poblano peppers before, but it's a piece of cake under the broiler. Served with the roasted corn, the poblanos kicked this recipe up a notch- in a good way!


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This recipe is featured in the summer issue of Foodiecrush. 

INGREDIENTS:serves 2-3 as a full meal, 4-5 as a side

charred corn & poblano:1 poblano pepper
1 ear of corn, kernels sliced off the cob (about 1/2 cup)

cherry tomato pico:1/4 c. sliced tomatoes (cherry)
1/2 lime (1-2 tablespoons)
1/4 c. sliced scallions, white and green, 2-3
a few pinches of salt

chipotle lime dressing:1/4 c olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 1 lime)
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 tablespoon agave syrup
salt, pepper, to taste

other salad components: 
red quinoa – 1 cup, cooked
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup cubed tofu (or meat or cheese of your choice)
1/2 c. cilantro
1/2 sliced avocado
tortilla strips from 1 tortilla, sliced, baked, salted

METHOD:Roast the poblano pepper and char the corn. Place poblano under the broiler for 20 or so minutes, until blistered on all sides. (time will vary depending on the heat of your broiler). When it’s fully blistered, remove and place in a bowl and cover (not touching) with plastic wrap or at towel. Set aside for 15 minutes or so, until it’s cool enough to handle. Using your fingers, slide off the skin and remove the stem and seeds. Chop into roughly 1/4 inch pieces and place in a small bowl.

Toss corn kernels with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Roast corn kernels under the broiler for 4-5 minutes or until they just begin to blacken. Remove from oven, toss with chopped poblano and set aside.

In another small bowl, toss together cherry tomatoes, lime juice, scallions, and a few pinches of salt. Set aside.

In another small bowl, whisk together the dressing: olive oil, lime juice, ancho chile powder, chipotle powder, agave, salt and pepper. (It might tasted too tangy/spicy/sweet on it’s own… but remember that it will get diluted when you mix it with everything else). Set aside.

In a large bowl combine red quinoa, arugula, tofu and cilantro with the dressing. (you might not need all of the dressing, start with half and add more to your liking). Toss in the charred corn, chopped poblano and pico. Taste and adjust seasonings. Top with sliced avocado and tortilla strips and a squeeze of lime.


3 years ago: A little wine perhaps?

2 years ago: Weekend Memories

1 year ago:  Denali