Inspiration: We’ve certainly been eating a lot of summery salads lately. I sure do love winter comfort foods, but with the first signs of sunshine in the spring, I’m always more than ready to give them the boot. Light, casual food is one of our favorite things about summer, though there sure are a lot of things to love. Walks in the park, weekends downtown in the sunshine, cocktails, vacations, flip-flops, BBQs. I hope that everyone who celebrates Memorial Day this weekend gets a good dose of all of the summer things that make them happy!

What We Loved: Brandon just couldn’t get enough of this meal. He’s been really into the entrée type salads lately – those with a nice bed of lettuce, plenty of protein, and some great veggies. Like the shredded beef salad we had a few weeks ago, this salad is so full of flavors that it doesn’t even need a dressing. The chicken is mixed with three kinds of cheeses – cream cheese, cheddar, and Monterey Jack – and there are all kinds of Mexican spices and seasonings thrown in. The result is a rich, cheesy, spicy chicken mixture that is warm and wonderful. Combined with fresh and crisp romaine hearts, creamy avocado, and sweet tomatoes, this salad is just packed full of protein, vegetables, and flavor – which is really all that you need.

Helpful Hints: Though we loved this salad exactly as it was, anything that you would normally throw into a Mexican meal would probably be a good addition – sour cream, black olives, additional salsa, minced onions, pickled jalapenos, etc.

Cheesy Mexican Chicken Salad
Source: Chicken recipe adapted from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen, originally from Our Best Bites 

Olive oil or butter
1 slice onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup salsa
Juice of 1 small lime
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Romaine hearts or other greens, chopped
Grape tomatoes, sliced
Avocado, sliced

1. Heat some oil or butter in a saute pan over medium heat, and then add the onion. Cook until softened. Add the garlic, and stir to combine.

2. Add the cream cheese, salsa, lime, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, chicken, and cheeses. Mix well to combine, and cook over low heat until heated through.

3. Serve the chicken mixture over the romaine hearts with grape tomatoes and avocado.