Another day Another salad

Bell peppers are in season and have been on sale, so I've got a bunch of them to use up. Last night I made a brightly-colored salad using red and green peppers and other fresh produce. I call it Fiesta Salad.

For 2 entree-sized salads:

1 head heart of romaine, chopped
1/4 c red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/4 c green bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 c whole kernel corn
1/4 c carrot, julienne strips*
1/4 c shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (or combo)
1/8 c thin sliced red onion, or to taste
handful of purchased tortilla strips, such as Fresh Gourmet salad toppings
fresh ground black pepper

To make it more filling, omnivores might want to add slices of cooked chicken breast, if desired.

Goes great with a red pepper vinaigrette or salsa ranch dressing.

*I like to use a vegetable peeler to quickly make thin strips of carrot

Salad!

The Salinas Valley is often called the "nation's salad bowl" with good reason.  Lots of lettuce and other veggies are grown around here.  You'd think it would be cheaper to buy, but I've found lettuce is about the same price I paid in the Seattle area.

Anyway, we had a lovely fruity salad last night. Mixed greens, with fresh raspberries, mandarin orange segments, very thin slivers of red onion, topped with crumbled pecan pieces. Add some grumbled gorgonzola to make it more substantial.

For the salad shown here, I used a combination of romaine hearts and Trader Joe's Herb Salad blend. I like the crispiness of the romaine with the softer wild greens.

Dress with fresh ground pepper and your favorite balsamic vinaigrette. I like Girard's Light Creamy Balsalmic with this salad, though the only place I've been able to find it around here is SaveMart.