Mexicali Chopped Salad with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

I cannot stop eating this salad.  I have made the dressing three times in the past three weeks.  I have experimented with multiple ingredient mixes for this salad, and none to date has disappointed.  I even ordered a salad spinner last week because I know have renewed faith that I can make quick and filling delicious salads at home.  

So what is this salad you ask?  It's based on the Mexicali Chop salad from the July/August 2010 issue of the Vegetarian Times.  I altered the actual salad recipe to include the ingredients I most like when I get Mexican-inspired salads at restaurants, omitted the homemade crunchy tortilla strips, and modified the dressing recipe slightly to fit the ingredients I had at home.  The salad is really wonderful — and given that I have made it with so many variations, it is really the salad dressing that brings this salad together and makes it continually interesting to eat.  The salad can be vegan or vegetarian, and both taste equally delicious — lots of different vegetable textures and generally flavorful, but not too spicy.  My recipe modifications follow the picture of the first salad I prepared with this dressing.  

Mexicali Chop Salad — My First, and Probably Best, Version

Mix the following ingredients together to make two servings of the salad:

• 2 hearts of romaine, chopped 
• 1 plum tomato, seeded and chopped
• 2/3 can of black beans, rinsed
• kernels from 1 ear of fresh corn, boiled or prepared to one's liking
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1/4 of shredded cheddar
• 1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
• crushed tortilla chips
• Salad Dressing to taste, with the juice of one lime (approx. 1/4 cup lime juice instead of 1/3 called for in the recipe).  I've found this dressing can last 4 – 6 individual servings.

This salad can really be customized how you like — one can use the ingredients called for in the original recipe on VegetarianTimes.com, or really just pick what ingredients you most like in salads, like I did to prepare your "ideal" personal salad.  The dressing can be refridgerated for a week or slightly longer, though I guarantee it won't last long after you try it!