What's for (lunch or) Dinner?

Yum!  This is what I just made for lunch, thanks to MckMama who blogged her version of Southwest Chicken Salad yesterday.  (Her blog is listed on the left - I love it, and you probably would too.)  I thought I'd pass along the recipe with my own tweaks.

Southwest Chicken Salad

- shredded chicken

- lettuce

- black beans

- corn

- Ro-Tel with cilantro and lime

- shredded cheddar cheese

- torn basil

- sour cream

- juice from 1 lime

- corn tortilla chips

This is a throw-it-together salad that can be modified as you go.  Toss all items listed above  together in a bowl, and add as much of each ingredient as you prefer.

I love salads that begin with little pieces of lettuce; I get bagged lettuce and chop it up even smaller than it already comes.  I like a lot of lime juice. I also love to get the $4.99 Southwest-seasoned rotisserie chicken from Target and pull the meat off, dicing it into small bite sized pieces.  I can stand a fair amount of heat, but the Ro-Tel was a bit much even for me, and it overpowered the flavor of the rest of the salad. If you like things mild, I'd recommend substituting simple diced tomatoes or even chopped fresh tomatoes.  Go easy on the sour cream.  Crush the tortilla chips and throw them in last.

And yesterday I learned a trick from Rachel Ray (although I find her slightly annoying, I like her recipes and she has great tips)... if your lime feels firm and not very juicy, stick it in the microwave for a few seconds and it will give up more of its juice when you squeeze it!

Enjoy!