We call it a share bowl because it’s so big and delicious!! This will serve at least 2 people as a meal and 4-6 as a side dish. It’s easy to scale down and adapt for your needs, so feel free to play with the ingredients you have on hand!
INGREDIENTS:
Salad Dressing Ingredients:
3/4 cup Olive Us Persian Lime Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/4 cup Olive Us Key Lime White Balsamic
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
3 tablespoons natural smooth peanut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
Salad Dressing Variations (peanut butter &.or peanuts are optional): 1/2 cup Olive Us Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Olive Us, 1/4 cup Olive Us Chipotle Extra Virgin Olive Oil & 1/4 Olive Us Mango White balsamic or Pineapple White balsamic, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1-2 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or to taste)
Cajun Chicken or Tofu:
1 350g package extra firm tofu OR 2 free range chicken breast halves
Olive Us Extra Virgin Olive Oil (single varietal, fused or infused will work!)
1 tablespoon Cajun spice mix
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Salad Ingredients:
2 heads (10 cups) romaine lettuce, washed & torn into bite size pieces
1 540 ml can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup corn, cooked and cooled (use frozen kernels or from 2 cobs of fresh cooked corn)
2 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup chopped pitted Medjool dates
1/3 cup crumbled feta or vegan feta (optional)
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
2 avocados, sliced or diced
tortilla chips for serving (optional)
1 lime, cut in wedges for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Make the Salad Dressing
Combine all of the salad dressing ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Prepare Chicken or Tofu (choose a protein)
To prepare the chicken, preheat a grill to medium. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of Olive Us EVOO over each chicken breast, rub it in, sprinkle each with the Cajun spice mix to coat and season with salt. Grill on a barbecue or in a grill pan on medium heat on the stove on both sides until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest.
Or to prepare the tofu, cut the tofu into 1/2″ cubes and pat dry. Drizzle with 1-2 teaspoons of Olive Us Extra Virgin Olive Oil, toss to coat, sprinkle the tofu cubes with the Cajun spice mix to coat and season with salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of Olive Us EVOO in a pan over medium heat, add the tofu cubes, and fry on all sides until just golden brown, about 2-3 minutes a side. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Make the Salad
Put the torn romaine lettuce in a large bowl or in a large platter with sides. Top with the black beans, corn, peppers, dates, feta and onion. Slice the avocado on the salad just before serving, top with the grilled chicken or tofu, garnish with the lime wedges, and serve with the tortilla chips and salad dressing on the side. Alternately, you can toss the salad with the salad dressing before adding the avocado, chicken or tofu and lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Vegan option: use tofu and replace the feta with vegan feta or leave out the cheese
Gluten free option: use certified gluten-free ingredients (i.e. soy sauce)
Adapted from Fraicheliving