Southwestern Chipolte Salad

I love my salads. I love my southwestern food too. I really love when the two are combined. This salad is hearty and yummy.

Southwestern Chipotle Salad
Makes 1 main course salad.

3 cups greens (mesclun, romaine...your choice)
3 oz grilled venison, chopped
1 oz Monterrey jack cheese, grated
2 tbs black beans
2 tbs corn
2 tbs red onion, sliced
1 small tomato, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1 tbs fresh cilantro
2 tbs chipolte ranch dressing (address below)
1 wedge of lime

Mix all ingredients together, and squeeze lime juice from wedge over salad. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chipotle Ranch Dressing
(Recipe from the Food Network)

2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs buttermilk
1 tbs chipotle hot sauce
3 tbs minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 scallion (white and green parts), very thinly sliced
1/2 tsp finely grated orange zest

Smash the garlic cloves, sprinkle with the salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. Scrape the paste into a small bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and whisk well to make a creamy dressing.

Grilled Venison Steak Salad with Cranberry Dressing

I like eating healthy. In fact, I love fresh veggies and fruit. Alas, I also love pizza and ice cream. I struggle with eating well, especially when it starts getting cold. Really, who wants a carrot on a cold, rainy day when there is a bag of tortilla chips on the counter? It doesn't help that Rick is not a big fan of green food.

But I'm the one writing a cookbook. Ha. I'm sure there are plenty of hunting wives out there who like the occasional veggie on their plate as well. So I'm going to start finding recipes that don't have pastry crust or potatoes as key ingredients.

My first is this fantastic salad. I discovered the dressing when I was hunting for winter salads to make for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty sure I found it on epicurious, but honestly I can't remember (if you know where it came from, let me know). The dressing was so yummy, I thought it'd be great on a main dish salad. So here is my creation. It is delicious and very satisfying.

Grilled Venison Steak Salad with Cranberry Dressing
(serves 4)

1 lb venison steak, cut into strips for grilling
2 tbs olive oil

8 cups of mixed salad greens
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup gorgonzola, crumbled
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Cranberry dressing


Baste the venison strips with the olive oil and grill until cooked to your taste (we like our meat a little rare, so it only takes about three minutes to grill). If you don’t have a grill, you can broil the meat.

Put two cups of greens on a plate. Sprinkle with tomatoes, gorgonzola, walnuts, and onion. Add strips of meat and drizzle with a tablespoon of salad dressing. Set the extra dressing on the table in case anyone wants more!

Cranberry Dressing
3 tbs red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cranberries (if frozen, thaw)
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbs water

In a blender or food processor, combine vinegar, oil, cranberries, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper, and water; blend or process until smooth. Note: this is a very thick dressing.