Mexican Chopped Salad

Ingredients

• ¼ cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 clove garlic (finely minced)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper
• taste and add salt if needed
• 6 6- inch corn tortillas
• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 medium head romaine lettuce (chopped in approximately 1/2 inch pieces)
• 1 medium bell pepper (diced in 1/4-inch pieces**, any color (I used orange)
• ½ medium red onion (diced in 1/4-inch pieces**)
• ½ medium jicama (peeled and diced in 1/4-inch pieces**)
• 1 medium zucchini (diced in 1/4-inch dice**)
• 4 medium tomatoes (seeded and diced into 1/4-inch dice**)
• 4 ears corn (if fresh corn is not in season, substitute 1½ cups of sweet, tiny frozen corn)
• 1 1/2 cups canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro (plus whole cilantro leaves for garnish, if desired)
• instructions

Instructions

1. For the dressing, combine lime juice, honey, cumin garlic and salt.
2. In a slow, steady stream, add the oils, stirring continuously with a fork or small whisk.
3. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside.
4. For the corn tortilla strips, preheat oven to 400˚F.
5. Stack corn tortillas on a cutting board. Cut in half. Cut each stack of halves into thin strips, widthwise, about 1/4-inch thick.
6. Transfer tortilla strips to a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until light golden brown and crisp. Set aside to cool.
8. For the salad, place corn, two ears at a time, in the microwave and cook for 3 1/2 minutes.
9. Remove from microwave with a hot pad and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
10. After cooling, cut bottom end of corn off, about 1 1/2 inches from end. Pull back husk and silks (almost all of the silk should easily pull away). Cut kernels from husks and set aside.
11. Combine corn and other salad ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add dressing and stir to coat all ingredients. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.
12. Serve with tortilla strips on top or place a bowl on the side and let guests help themselves.