southwestern salad with protein ranch

Southwestern Salad

&

<<< Protein Ranch >>>

I know the following words and lists look daunting but I PROMISE you that it is NOT difficult at all. This salad is guy friendly (Spencer ate it as a main dish and felt perfectly full afterwards... and said it was the best salad he'd ever had!), healthy, colorful, and delicious. Don't run away from this recipe just because it looks long and hard. It is easy easy easy and a lot of it can be done ahead of time. It takes like 5 minutes to throw everything together and you will love it!

 makes 2 large heaping salads

Roasted Vegetables *this can be done the day before or morning of*

ingredients:

-1 large sweet potato, cut into 1 inch chunks

-1 large green bell pepper, sliced

-1 teaspoon olive oil (or olive oil spray)

-seasonings: paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin

instructions:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. combine chopped sweet potato, bell pepper, olive oil, and seasonings on non-stick baking sheet

3. roast in oven for 40-45 minutes or until peppers and potatoes are soft

4. store in refrigerator until ready to throw salad together

Protein Ranch Dressing *again, this part can be done ahead of time*

ingredients:

1 cup low-fat cottage cheese

1 garlic clove

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried chives

2-4 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon kefir or buttermilk (optional)

instructions:

1. combine cottage cheese, garlic clove, onion powder, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons water and kefir/buttermilk (if using)

2. blend until smooth, adding more water (1 tablespoon at a time) if mixture is too thick

3. add dill, parsley, and chives and blend for just a few more seconds

THE SALAD

salad ingredients:

-spinach

-red cabbage, sliced

-cherry tomatoes, sliced

-1 avocado, cut into chunks

-pepitas, raw or roasted

-cilantro

-lime wedges

-protein of choice (mine had grilled shrimp, Spencer had grilled chicken)

pile up salad ingredients, drizzle some dressing, squeeze fresh lime juice, and ENJOY!