Salad makes the world go 'round.

Walking club was much fun last night. Thanks for hanging out girls. Here's the recipe for the salad that I served with dinner. The girls liked it so much that they asked me to post the recipe. It's a nice summery salad with a tasty dressing. It's easy to make and is a good thing to take to potlucks or bbq's. Enjoy!

Southwestern Layered Salad with Cilantro-Jalapeno Dressing

Dressing:
1/2 c. white wine vinegar
1 generous tbs. chopped jalapenos
1/2 lime
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. olive oil
1/2 c. packed fresh cilantro

Salad:
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. chopped purple onion
2 c. loosely packed chopped lettuce (I used romaine, iceberg would work too)
1 c. seeded and chopped tomato
1 15-oz. can corn, drained
1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
1 c. (4-oz.) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 lime

1.) Once avocado is chopped, squeeze lime juice over avocado and toss until coated. This prevents browning.

2.) Prepare dressing: Process first four ingredients in a blender until smooth. With blender on, gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream. Process until thick and smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Add cilantro, and blend until finely chopped. Cover and chill.

3.) Place lettuce in bottom of salad bowl. Toss beans with onion and place on top of lettuce. Drizzle with one or two tablespoons of the dressing. On top of beans place the following ingredients in the following order: tomato, corn, green pepper, cheese, avocado. Drizzle a few more tablespoons of dressing over the top of the salad and garnish with a few cilantro sprigs. Serve remaining dressing alongside the salad.

(If you want to make the salad a little naughtier, you can put some crisped, crumbled bacon on top just before serving.)