can’t we just get along?!?

Soup and salad… the two of the most versatile parts of any meal. Or complete meals all by themselves. I’ve previously mentioned my deep admiration for soup. My husband, Dave, on the other hand, has those same feelings for salad. Given the choice, he would take salad over soup about 90% of the time. I’ll take soup over salad 99.9% of the time when it is under 100 degrees here in sunny AZ. But once the thermostat hits the century mark, I turn my back on my favorite child. I feel like a traitor. And considering that it reaches 100 degrees an average of 106 days a year here, that’s nearly a third of the year I give up on my beloved soup. So I need a backup plan!

Currently, on this blog, I have 13 soups and only 10 true salads. What do I consider a “true” salad? One that has lettuce or greens as the primary player; not just a tart on a bed of greens used to “fancy it up” or a salad with fruit only, or quinoa laying on a little bit of spinach. But a Real Salad with lettuce! So soup is currently winning the war, I mean the race! Unfortunately, salad is gaining ground with this entry, and with the dog days of summer only a couple of months away… I need to make more soup!

La Ensalada el Fregadero de Cocina –  “Kitchen Sink” Mexican Salad

Romaine or iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
Kidney beans, drained
Thinly sliced red onion
Chopped tomato
Diced avocado
Diced English cucumber
Diced celery
Shredded Mexican cheese, such as Casero, Ranchero, Cotija, or Queso Blanco

Salsa-Cumin Dressing
Equal parts of lite mayonnaise, lite sour cream, and salsa
ground cumin

Make as much or as little of this salad as you need. Just toss the proportions you wish of the various ingredients in a bowl. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, and salsa in another bowl and season generously with cumin. The cumin really makes the dressing. Be sure and season well. (For instance, if I’m making a salad for one; I’d use 2 tablespoons of each of the 3 ingredients and season with about 1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon cumin. Salad for four; 1/2 cup of each and about 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin.) Toss the salad with the dressing – enjoy, feeling healthy and refreshed. If you feel the need, add shredded grilled chicken to “beef” it up.