I created this salad for the “not so fond of salad” hubby. The hubby will eat salad as a meal if there are more ingredients than lettuce with a few veggies. This entree salad is satisfying and has enough flavor to keep even an omnivore interested in eating more salad.
I usually make my own dressing, but I keep a couple of bottled dressings on hand. I tried Annie’s Natural’s Lemon and Chive salad dressing. It has great flavor and does not taste like it came from a bottle. It makes me want to explore the different flavors offered.
The recipe is listed below. I did not include amounts because this can be adjusted depending on how many people you are serving and how hungry you are.

Southwestern Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
Romaine lettuce, Spinach and Iceberg Lettuce
Black beans
Brown rice
Corn
Red bell pepper, diced
Scallions, thinly sliced
Avocado, diced
Cilantro, chopped
Vegan bacon bits, optional
Corn tortillas, cut into strips
Cut corn tortillas into strips and place on a baking sheet. Lightly coat the strips with oil and then salt. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
Use leftover brown rice or cook a cup of rice, seasoning with salt. I seasoned the rice I used in this salad with salt, oregano, chili powder and cumin.
I used frozen corn that I cooked with a touch of vegan margarine.
On a large serving platter layer all ingredients beginning with the lettuce. Drizzle dressing and top with bacon bits and tortillas strips.

We are on our annual camping trip at Garner State Park. There is a 60% chance of rain. Not only rain, but thunderstorms. Friday was a great weather day. The high was 75 and it was sunny when we got here.
We had to wait in line for two hours just to check in. So by the time we got to our campsite and set everything up, it was dinner time. Two other couples were meeting us and about an hour behind us, plus the two hour wait in line will make them arrive at the campsite around dark.
So we made dinner and then waited for the others to arrive. Dinner was a wrap with Field Roast sausage and a side of chips. We had intended on have wraps with grilled veggies. Guess who left the nicely cut veggies at home? That would be me! I hate when that happens. I spent time chopping all of the veggies and then leave them behind.
The next morning for breakfast was biscuits and hash browns. The biscuits were going to have vegan breakfast sausage with them. I am sure you can tell where I am going with this, right? I left a few key ingredients at home. The biscuits did burn a little around the edges. It is difficult on a Coleman stove.

Saturday night for dinner was chili and cornbread. All of which were cooked over the fire in a cast iron Dutch oven and skillet. I have made cornbread many times, but never over a campfire. It came out great and it was a pleasant surprise. It is very difficult to regulate the temperature, but not as difficult on the Coleman stove.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that one of my favorite cookbooks is The a vegan Slowcooker by Kathy Hester. I tried the Tortilla Soup recipe for the first time. It was delicious!
For the “chicken”, I used Beyond Meat. I used the grilled Beyond Meat, although the Southwest flavor would be great in this as well. Beyond Meat has a good texture and holds up well in soup.
I love using a slow cooker. Working full time, it is so nice to know dinner is ready when you get home. I had to purchase another slow cooker recently. My first slow cooker lasted 10 years, however my second one only lasted a few months. So I purchased another brand for my third slow cooker. Both this one and my second one were the programmable type.