Keeping things fresh when you are cooking is a one way to improve your health and making salads for your lunches and dinners is a great way to work towards this goal. So what do you do when you have those cravings for tacos or a burrito but can’t have it due to dietary restrictions? 

Transforming your favorite traditional flavors and dishes into a salad is one way you can have your cake and eat it too. Here we use mainly fresh produce throughout, with a few optional add-ons for those of us who aren’t trying to be as strict as others. The salad dressing is a yogurt based avocado and cilantro masterpiece that compliments this vibrant salad. The next time you feel yourself reaching for those tortilla chips and salsa, reach instead for your cutting board and vegetables and whip up this great alternative.

Ingredients:

1 bag of spinach

1-2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 red onion

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

2 avocados

1 bunch fresh cilantro

1/4 cup of greek yogurt

1 clove of garlic

Lime juice

Shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese

Tortilla strips

Salt

1. Wash all of your produce thoroughly. You will want to have a large bowl to throw everything into as you go.
2. Begin prepping by removing the spinach stems and adding as much as you prefer. 
3. Slice the red onions to your desired preference, personally, we think they work well diced or in long strips.
4. Do the same with the bell peppers and toss all in your salad bowl.
5. Remove the stems from the cilantro and dice up as much as you’d like to add to the salad. Try not to overdo it so that the cilantro doesn’t overpower the other flavors.
6. Slice open the avocado and cut into chunks and add to salad. Save half of an avocado for the dressing.
7. In a food processor combined the half of an avocado, yogurt, 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems, garlic, a pinch of salt, and lime juice. Pulse until ingredients are properly blended and the consistency is smooth.
8. Toss the salad with the dressing and to with desired amounts of cheese and tortilla strips. 

This is just one translation of a favorite dish turned into a delicious salad. Use your imagination when creating other salads and think about what ingredients you can put together to recreate a healthier version of your favorite recipes!