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Southwestern Kale Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

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This Southwestern Kale Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing is a fresh twist on traditional kale salad.  Loaded with corn, tomatoes and tortilla strips!

Southwestern Kale Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

I don’t know about you, but the last week or so at work, I’ve been seriously dragging.

Maybe it’s the cold I have, maybe it’s just getting back into the swing of things after Christmas holidays.  Maybe it’s the knowledge that we have a lot of winter to get through here before we get to spring.

Whatever it is, I feel like I’m ready for my next holiday, please!  I choose somewhere warm and sunny…where Mariachi music can be heard, and the margaritas are flowing.  Please oh please let me be magically be transported to Mexico!

No?  OK well then I will have to bring Mexico up north.  In the form of this Southwestern kale avocado salad.

Southwestern Kale Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

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Southwestern Kale Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

This is the part where I tell you that I’ve never been to Mexico before {because I don’t think that a day in Tijuana counts}, and *gasp*, what?  Kale is not a Mexican dietary staple?  Why have I been so misinformed?

OK, obviously I know that kale salad is not Mexican.  But did you know that kale + a honey-lime vinaigrette is a new strange form of heaven?  Cause it is.

Throw in some crispy fried tortilla strips, creamy avocado, and a whole bunch of taco fixins’, and you have yourself a fiesta kale salad.

Southwestern Kale Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Southwestern Chopped Kale Salad with Crispy Tortilla Strips and a Honey-Lime Vinaigrette

And because this salad can be ready in under 20 minutes, it is *almost* a holiday from making dinner.  If you squint real hard and use your imagination.

Serve this Southwestern kale avocado salad as a side salad, or make it a meal-sized salad, served with shredded rotisserie chicken and extra tortilla strips {or chips}, either way, it’s going to brighten up your day.

Now.  Where are those margaritas?

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5 from 3 votes
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Southwestern Kale Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
A fresh, twist on the kale salad with avocado, corn, and crispy tortilla strips tossed in a tangy honey-lime vinaigrette.
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: southwestern
Servings: 2 -6
Ingredients
Salad
  • 6 cups kale {roughly torn and loosely packed}
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1/3 cup red onion diced
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro {roughly chopped}
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 bell pepper seeded and diced
  • 1 large avocado cubed
Crispy Tortilla Strips
  • 2 large tortillas {I used flour tortillas}
  • vegetable oil {enough to coat the bottom of a pan}
Honey-Lime Vinaigrette
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp lime zest
  • 1/2 tsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp dijon
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
Salad

  1. Cut or tear kale into bite-sized pieces. Wash in a bowl of cold water, gently massaging the kale to soften and remove bitterness. Dry thoroughly.

  2. Combine kale with all other salad ingredients and toss in vinaigrette.
  3. Top with crispy tortilla strips
Crispy Tortilla Strips

  1. Cover bottom of a pan with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat.

  2. Working in batches of 8 or so at a time, fry the tortilla strips until lightly golden brown. Flip and cook for another minute or so, until both sides are done.
  3. Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately.
  4. VinaigretteShake all ingredients together, then toss with salad.
Recipe Notes
Serves 2-3 meal-sized portions, or 4-6 side-salad portions.
Add shredded rotisserie chicken or black beans to make this a meal-sized salad.

Products used in this recipe:

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Comments

  7. This is such a gorgeous salad, Denise! I totally know what you mean, I’ve been feeling EXACTLY the same way about winter and the cold! Love how bright and colorful this salad is, it definitely has me imagining I’m somewhere warm and toasty and I love the flavors in here too!

    Reply

    • I think we’re having the ‘January Blues’, Kelly, what do you think? Let’s pretend we’re in Mexico…or somewhere else that is not so cold 😉

      Reply

  8. The first few weeks back to work after the holidays is so hard for me too. It feels like the holidays and time off just fly by! I have to say that this salad looks absolutely incredible! Those tortilla strips look so perfect and sound like a great addition.

    Reply

  15. I know what you mean – it’s cold and rainy here and a beautiful salad like this is just what I need to brighten my week up 🙂 I can only imagine how cold it is over there! I visited Ottawa about a week ago and I almost froze! It’s amazing how quickly we forget how cold it gets when we move away! hehe! And I love all the bright veggies you snuck in here! It looks absolutely delicious!! Have a great weekend! Pinned!

    Reply

    • Today in Calgary we are actually having a Chinook, so it’s not too bad. But I know we have a seriously LONG winter ahead of us. Makes me want to move!!

      Reply

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