Southwestern Caesar Salad

Ingredients

• 3 hearts romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Blue corn, black bean or other tortilla chips, for garnish
• 1/4 cup smoked cheddar and 1/4 cup pepper Jack, for garnish, optional

Directions

Chop and place romaine in a large salad bowl. Whisk together garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard and chili powder in a small bowl. Continue whisking while streaming in extra-virgin olive oil. When dressing is combined, toss Romaine salad with dressing and garnish salad with broken tortilla chips, smoked cheddar and pepper Jack cheese. Season with salt and pepper and toss again, then serve.

Yield: Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: none Ease of preparation: easy