Sunday Salad Samplers #6 – Fajita Salad with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce

This week I got to choose but because I was late to pick, many types of salad had already been taken. I went with this recipe, that I made a few years ago, and then forgot about. I’m glad I resurrected it because everyone loved it, Beck even more so than my go-to Chicken Caesar Salad recipe. So this will be on the menu often this summer.

Fajita Salad

I originally got this recipe from Cooking Light. I hope you enjoy it.

Fajita Salad with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into thin strips
Cooking spray
9 cups shredded romaine lettuce (I use pre-packaged stuff)
1 1/3 cups thinly sliced green bell pepper rings
1 cup sliced red onion, separated into rings
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablespoons sliced ripe olives
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium tomato, cut into 8 wedges or 1/2 pint grape tomatoes
Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken, peppers and onions; toss to coat. Place a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add chicken mixture; sauté 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Set aside.
In a large bowl, put salad, cheese, olives, beans and tomatoes. Top with chicken mixture. Serve with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

CALORIES 520 (38% from fat); FAT 21.9g (sat 6g,mono 6.8g,poly 6g); IRON 5.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 101mg; CALCIUM 360mg; CARBOHYDRATE 34.7g; SODIUM 1061mg; PROTEIN 3.6g; FIBER 6.6g

It’s a lot of calories, but a huge serving and so good. For Weight Watchers, 11 points – but yes, you’ll kill your entire vegie requirement for the day, and have good lean protein too. Really, for lunch, you could do 1/2 a serving and be more than satisfied.

Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce

This recipe goes with Fajita Salad with Creamy Cilantro-Lime Sauce
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 large garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients, and stir well with a whisk. Cover sauce, and chill.

Yield: 1 1/3 cups (serving size: 1/3 cup)

CALORIES 113 (65% from fat); FAT 8.1g (sat 1.2g,mono 2.4g,poly 4.2g); IRON 0.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 10mg; CALCIUM 32mg; CARBOHYDRATE 6.6g; SODIUM 254mg; PROTEIN 3.2g; FIBER 0.1g