Don’t let this salad pass you by! It’s colorful, flavorful and full of nutrients to leave you satisfied and nourished. It’s also an easy one to make a large batch of to enjoy throughout the week.
What Do You Need For It
- Choice of greens
- Black beans (I use no salt added, canned)
- Corn
- Bell pepper
- Chicken
- Lime juice
- Avocado
- Cheddar cheese
- Dressing: plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic powder, salsa, cumin (If you don’t want to make a dressing, try this Salsa Ranch by Bolthouse)
How To Make It
This recipe involves a bit of chopping so it’s great for the beginner working on their knife skills. You can also chop the produce as small as you like. I recommend chopping all of the produce to be about the size of the black bean or corn kernel. This provides an easy to eat experience and a uniform look.
The dressing is simple to mix together and pour on top. Leave it separate from your salad if you are not eating it right away.
Variations
Swap out the animal protein for plants. Try cooked lentils seasoned with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. Or use a different type of animal protein such as ground beef or steak.
You can also make this salad and stuff the entire mixture into a wrap. I found it stuffs two, nine inch tortillas perfectly.
Can You Make It Ahead Of Time
Absolutely! This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled in order to meal prep it for the week. You can use containers or large glass mason jars to store everything except the dressing. Keep the dressing separate until the salad is ready to be consumed.
You cannot freeze this meal but if you end up with any extra vegetables, throw those into a baggy and freeze them.
What To Serve It With
This salad is great as is especially with the animal and/or additional plant protein (lentils) added. However, wrapped in a tortilla provides a different eating experience and can make it feel like you’re not eating salad day after day. A plate of tortilla chips or black bean chips with some melted cheese is another great option on the side.
What Makes a Sante Fe Dressing
The combination of spices is what gives it a “Sante Fe” name. The spices in the dressing include chili powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic powder, and chopped cilantro (to taste, or leave it out). Store bought is great or you can make your own like I did with plain whole milk Greek yogurt, salsa, spices, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Making your own dressing is a great cooking skill to master incase you’re ever out of dressing and need some! Or if you simply want to make more food from scratch.
Other Salads You’ll Love
Sante Fe Salad
Ingredients
- 3 oz Grilled chicken breast consider using rotisserie chicken for a shortcut
- 5-6 Cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
- 1 ½ cups Spinach
- 2 tbsp Black beans No salt added, drained and rinsed
- ⅓ Avocado
- 2 tbsp Corn
- 1 oz Cheddar cheese shredded
Dressing
- 2 tbsp Plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp Salsa
- 1 tsp Lime juice
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Cumin
Instructions
- Chop the tomatoes, shred the cheese, and chop avocado
- Shred the cheese if not using pre shredded
- Drain and rinse the beans and corn if using canned
- Mix the dressing ingredients together
- Combine all and enjoy! Times the recipe by three if you want to prep three salads for the week. I recommend leaving the dressing off until serving.
Notes
Cooking Notes:
- Easily multiply this recipe 2x to make three salads for the week
- Leftover beans and corn could be frozen or used mixed into ground taco meat for another meal
- If you have spinach left over, put it in a freezer bag and freeze for a soup or casserole in the future
Nutrition
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