Years ago I cruised to the Bahamas with my husband and some close friends. While ashore, we dined in the Atlantis Hotel at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill restaurant. I fell in food-love! Not only was the restaurant gorgeous itself, but the food presentation and flavor was unlike anything I’d ever seen or tasted. Perhaps this would be a good time to mention that the small town I live in only has a Chili’s and an Outback….ahem. Moving on. I loved the style of food at the Mesa Grill which is perfectly described as “explosive flavor from the southwestern kitchen.” I could eat quesadillas every day, so when I ordered the Smoked Black Bean & Corn Quesadilla with Avocado and Toasted Garlic Creme Fraiche I was in quesadilla Heaven. The way Chef Flay combines spicy chilies with sweet notes in his food instantly made me a fan. I talked about it so much that one Christmas, my sweet mother & father-in-loves (yeah, better than in-laws!) bought me the Mesa Grill cookbook! I was ecstatic!
Though several recipes are quite fancy – as in, I’d never have the guts to cook, or eat, duck – there are many that I’ve made several times for both casual dinners and special occasions. This salad is so simple, yet delicious! The secret is how you make the dressing. Now, I respect a chef. But, there’s still something in me that urges me to try things a different way. So, normally I don’t mess with a good thing, but this is my interpretation of Chef Flay’s “Sophie’s Chopped Salad.”
And yes, maybe I am referring to him as Chef Flay just in case he reads this and wants to hire me.
Tangy Vinaigrette Chopped Salad
adapted from Bobby Flay
Serves 4-6
For the vinaigrette you’ll need:
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
1T Dijon mustard
1t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 C canola oil, divided in half
For the salad you’ll need:
3 C chopped romaine lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes of your choice seeded and diced
1/2 C canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 C canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 C chopped stems of scallions
3/4 C 1/2-inch-cubed white Cheddar cheese
3/4 C 1/2-inch-cubed Monterey Jack cheese
4-6 corn tortillas
With a salad like this, you really don’t need to measure the ingredients exactly, you just want an even blend of the beans, cheeses, tomato, and scallions. No worries if the measurements aren’t perfect.
After washing and drying the veggies, chop the lettuce to bite size pieces.
Next, add the beans and cheeses! Try not to eat too many on their own. I know it’s tough.
Chop the scallions. I only used the green parts because though I love onion, I didn’t want that to be the predominant flavor of the salad.
And the tomatoes. I waited to put them in the bowl until after the vinaigrette and tortillas were ready so their juices didn’t run around all cray cray.
Now it’s time for the vinaigrette! This is one of the first home-made salad dressings I tackled, and it showed me there’s no need to be intimidated by salad dressings! They’re not too hard to pull off. This one can be made in a blender, in a bowl with a wisk, or as I did, in a small food processor.
Add salt & pepper,
Dijon mustard,
And add the vinegar.
Blend together until smooth.
Once it’s all blended slowly add 1/2 cup of oil to the mix. If using a whisk, this will be easy, and if your food processor has an opening on top this will be easy. Since mine does not, I would stop, add a little then blend. Stop, add a little more then blend, and so on until all the oil had been encorporated. This is the tricky part! I’ve made this dressing before and once I dumped the oil in all at once and it did not blend correctly and separated afterwards. It wasn’t right. Make sure you add the oil slowly a little bit at a time.
When it’s done right, you get this!
The last component to this delicious salad is the crispy element. Heat the remaining oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is ready, lightly fry both sides of each tortilla.
Once all tortillas are finished, add the tomatoes to the salad and mix well. Plating is fun since the tortillas acts as a “plate.” The tortillas tear easily with the fork to add a bit of crunch in the salad. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, dried parsley, or anything else you’d like! It’s soooo delicious. This might just become your new favorite salad.