Mexican Salad ala Cook's Illustrated

I would imagine that many of us have had a Mexican style salad whether it is called a taco salad or what have you. I have made taco salad many times because it is one of my favorite salads, but decided to try this magazine's rendition of a Mexican salad. Now that summer has hit, I don't want super heavy meals and am starting to not want the casseroles and things I normally make. Since the Cook's Illustrated magazine I bought is specifically for summer, I've been trying some of the recipes. Some have been good, some have been flops. This one is simple, and a winner. I loved how simple steps made the salad more special such as roasting the corn. Never have I done that for a salad before, but it added an extra kick.

My first step for any salad is chopping and washing the lettuce. This salad called for radishes too, so I chopped those as well. I was surprised to see the radishes, but I think they are a great addition to any salad.

Then I cooked the corn. An extra step, but worth it!

This is what it looks like after. It's much darker due to the charring but also has chili powder!

Always need cilantro for Mexican food.

I normally buy rotisserie chickens at Costco because they tend to be larger and less expensive than grocery store chickens. I always pick one up whenever I'm there because it is so convenient and versatile.

  And the final product. Black beans were also added and it was dressed in ranch dressing. This salad is able to be dressed with any dressing you like because it doesn't have any strong flavors that would combat dressings. I normally dress my taco salad with simple salsa and that would also be a good dressing for this salad. It was delicious and hit the spot on a hot summer night.

Mexican Chopped Salad

2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 cup olive oil

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

salt and pepper

1 avocado (I didn't use because my husband doesn't care for it and I find that if used, any leftovers would be brown and mushy)
1/4 cup cilantro

1 (16oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

6 radishes

1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 lbs), skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-size pieces (about 3 cups)

2 romaine hearts, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to large bowl.
2. Chop lettuce, radishes, and avocado. Combine lettuce, radishes, avocado, black beans, cilantro, cooked corn, and chicken.
3. Dress with the dressing of your choice. I recommend ranch! When I make taco salad, I dress it with salsa and I think that would also work here along with crushed tortilla chips if you so desire.