How to Make Tex-Mex Salad

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients needed to make Tex-Mex Salad:

• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• 1 cup store-brought salsa
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 box (8.5 oz) cornbread mix
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 packet sazon seasoning
• Melted butter, for greasing

For the creamy lime dressing:

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for Tex-Mex Salad:

• Warm up your oven to 400 degrees F.
• Brush a lashing of melted butter into the sides and base of an 8’’ square glass pan.
• Whisk the egg and milk together until just combined and empty the box of cornbread mix into it.
• Fold them together until mixed thoroughly into a smooth mixture and tip it into the buttered pan.
• Spread out the batter with the help of a spatula to smooth out its surface and place it onto the middle oven rack.
• Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes and set aside, outside the oven, for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
• Invert the pan onto a plate to de-mould the cornbread and set aside to cool it down to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, toss the beans with the sazon, a pinch of salt and generous amount of ground black pepper to season and set aside.
• Stir the tomato chunks into the salsa and keep aside until necessary.
• Slice the cornbread into ½’’ cubes and set them aside too.
• To make the dressing, dump all its ingredients into a medium bowl, except the olive oil, and whisk them thoroughly until well combined.
• Drizzle the olive oil gradually while beating it into the dressing until fully incorporated and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
• Place the shredded lettuce in a separate bowl and pour in ¾ cup of the above dressing.
• Toss them well together to coat properly with the dressing and set aside.
• Spread the seasoned black beans into a glass trifle bowl and sprinkle the grated Monterey Jack cheese over them.
• Top it up with the salsa mixture, followed by layers of grated cheddar and dressed lettuce.
• Scatter the cornbread cubes on top and smother them with rest of the creamy dressing.
• Serve immediately.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons