Southwest Salad & Cilantro-Lime Dressing

All of a sudden I had a craving for this amazing salad I had at Bahama Breeze several years back... I don't know why really.  Just out of the blue I started thinking about it.  For a few days.  So I decided to try and recreate it.  

That never goes well for me.  I'm one of those people who need to follow a recipe.  Going off on my own as a lone cowgirl never bolds well for me or the meal.  But I must say... in this case it was AWESOME.  While the salad might not have been exact (esp. now that I'm vegan so there were substitutes), it was pretty darn close. The dressing was different, but for some reason I was craving cilantro/lime with it... which is funny because I'm NEVER made that before.  Ahhh... maybe that's a sign that I'm a true foodie now?! LOL

Both came out AH-MAZING.  So proud of myself for the culinary skills... plus the health factors in both are off the charts and that never sucks.  The salad sat on a toasted Engine 2 Plant-Strong Tortilla (found at WholeFoods), and consisted of a cup of shredded spinach, a cup of shredded romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup black beans, 1/2 cup sweet corn, 1/2 cup diced tomatoes, 1/3 cup dived avocados and 2 tsp of the dressing.  It's that simple!

Cilantro-Lime Dressing:

• 1 cup packed cilantro
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Pinch of minced garlic

Preparation:

1. Puree cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, salt, pepper and garlic in a blender or food processor until smooth.