Chefanie Wambach came over the other night and we both wanted to cook something light, healthy and summery. And of course it had to go with our Secret Recipe dish, Manchego Jalapeño Cornbread.
My inspiration for this salad was to have as many colors as a salad bowl would allow me too. I chose the veggies for their taste obviously but also for the colors and the beauty they would add to the overall dish. I tended to go for heirloom veggies, but you can substitute for whatever you want and whatever suits your fancy.
This salad was awesome and all of us went back for a few more bites. I was originally planning on dressing it with a cilantro vinaigrette but Wambach has the “cilantro tastes like soup” gene and we decided to go with a homemade spicy ranch to tie it all together. It worked and maybe even better than a vinaigrette would have. It is crunchy, creamy and looks beautiful on the table.
Make this one for sure!
Layered Chopped Heirloom Summer Salad with Homemade Spicy Ranch Dressing
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 Heirloom Tomato of your choice, chopped
1 Armenian Cucumber, chopped
1 Purple Bell Pepper, chopped
5 Pink Radishes, sliced
2 Ears of Corn, grilled and taken off the ears
1 jalapeno, grilled and chopped
1 can Organic Black Beans
2 avocados
1 shallot, sliced
Spicy Ranch
1 clove garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup loose packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon dehydrated onion flakes
2 drops Worcestershire sauce
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch ground white pepper
DIRECTIONS
Blend all ingredients dressing ingredients together and chill for at least an hour before using.
Meanwhile layer the vegetables and serve with avocado on top.
Mix the dressing right before serving.
My idea of grilling in San Francisco in the summer. Oh yes, indoors. But it still worked.
My favorite part about summer is the tomatoes!!!
This was my first time ever seeing or using a purple bell pepper. The taste is a bit spicier than a regular bell pepper but it was still good.
Happy Summer!!!
To make things a bit easier, can you use the frozen grilled corn from Trader Joes?
Sounds like a GREAT recipe…perfect for someone (like me) on Weight Watchers. With the exception of the sour cream, buttermilk and corn it’s 0 points!
It is really a good one for you. You can add different vegetables like celery, and carrots too (although I think carrots might have points) – and the avocado will make it creamy so you don’t really need the dressing anyway! You will love it. I hope you try it! Thanks Bill!!
This sounds fantastic. I make a very similar salad, but the dressing it different. I’m going to try yours soon. I’ve never seen a purple bell pepper either, but I just put it on my garden list for fall. Can’t wait to try it!
I clicked through from the SRC and I’m loving your blog. I’m happily following you now.