As promised, I am sharing my carne asada salad recipe, although it’s more of a guide than an actual recipe. This salad is flexible. If you’re missing something, no worries. Really the only required attendees in carne asada salad are, well, carne asada, salad (you know, the greens) and my homemade cilantro crema. Beyond that, do what I describe below or get creative! The world (well, this salad) is your oyster (except there aren’t oysters in this salad, and, actually, as flexible as the salad is, I would skip the oysters).

This is a great go-to dinner option. The cilantro crema dressing is easy to make, the carne asada (which I get from the butcher at the store) grills up in mere minutes, and the salad is super easy to throw together. Also, all my kids like this meal so that automatically makes it my favorite. But, seriously, Nate and I do love it as well!

Carne Asada Salad with Cilantro Crema

 

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Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• Salad greens (whatever is your favorite!)
• Sliced, grilled carne asada
• Beans (black, pinto, garbanzo, whatever)
• Fresh or canned corn
• Chopped or sliced avocado
• Chopped tomatoes (I usually forget these)
• Fried tortilla strips or broken up tortilla chips
• Cilantro Crema

Instructions

1. On a plate place your greens. Top with carne asada, beans, corn, avocado, tomato, then drizzle with dressing. Finish off with tortilla strips! Enjoy!

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Not only was I crazy late with my menu last week, I ended up not following it at all, except for the Indian food takeout for Nate’s birthday. Bravo, Jane! 😉 So, lots of carry-over from last week. That’s life!

MONDAY:

• Carne Asada Salad with Cilantro Crema Dressing

TUESDAY:

• Green Noodles

WEDNESDAY:

• Baked Potato Bar

THURSDAY:

• Bistro Chicken

FRIDAY:

• Leftovers

SATURDAY:

• Local Takeout

SUNDAY:

• Caprese Paninis

Orange text. Black text. Update one week later: OH BROTHER. HAHAHAHA! I totally forgot to type my final message, but luckily you all still posted your menus below! 😉 

This cilantro crema dressing recipe is divine. I first made up this concoction for carne asada salad (a salad we threw together one night that has since become a family favorite dinner) and have made it many times. Using crema Mexicana as the base, this sauce is a wonderful salad dressing but it is also a great dip for chips and raw vegetables. (Kettle crinkle-cut potato chips in the same room as this dip is my new kryptonite).

We have also used this cilantro cream as toppings for other savory dishes, like baked potatoes and tacos. It would also be a great sauce to serve on top of a perfectly-cook steak. You get the idea, we’ve been using this stuff on everything.

If you’ve never had crema Mexicana, it’s used similarly to sour cream, but it is thinner in texture and doesn’t have a sour flavor. As a result, this cilantro crema dressing recipe makes for very fresh, light-tasting flavor, and the garlic and cilantro give it a nice brightness.

That’s about all I have to say about cilantro crema. Enjoy!

Cilantro Crema Dressing and Dip

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Can be used as a salad dressing, a sauce topping for foods like baked potatoes, steak and tacos, or as a dip for chips or fresh vegetables

Author: Jane Maynard

Ingredients

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped finely
• 1 cup Mexican crema (see note below for details)
• ½ cup avocado or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• Juice from 2 limes
• 2 garlic cloves, through a garlic press
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Mix everything together and your done!
2. The dressing is on the thicker side, but it still works great on salad!

Notes

Try to find crema Mexicana that is listed simply as "table cream." Sometimes crema Mexicana will be labeled "agria," or sour cream. While sour crema is still delicious, we like the dressing better when made with the plain, non-sour crema.

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I’m late! Sorry! Father’s Day was fun and Monday was, well, Monday. Here we go! I’m not even going to bother with the graphic because, well, my menu is sort of not that inspiring this week. 😉

MONDAY:

• Leftovers

TUESDAY:

• Indian Take out from Curry & More
• Chocolate Ganache Praline Cake (birthday celebration!)

WEDNESDAY:

• Leftovers (we have so many!)

THURSDAY:

• Green Noodles

FRIDAY:

• Baked Potato Bar

SATURDAY:

• Bistro Chicken

SUNDAY:

• Caprese Paninis

Your turn! I know it’s later in the week than normal, but we would still love to see your meal plans! Have a great week everyone!

Whoah. I made everything on last week’s menu! Except the ribs…I forgot to defrost them again! Anyway, not much carry-over, so I have to come up with new ideas for this week. Thank goodness you all share menus every week to provide us all with inspiration!

MONDAY:

• Tuscan Tomato Soup
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

TUESDAY:

•  Chicken Gumbo with Tasso and Andouille Sausage

WEDNESDAY:

• Honey Goat Cheese & Caramelized Onion Pizza (I think we’ll just be doing Naan pizzas to keep it simple on a weeknight)

THURSDAY:

• Leftovers

FRIDAY:

• Pesto Chicken Salad Sandwiches

SATURDAY:

• Local Takeout

SUNDAY:

• Ribs
• Green Salad, Potato Salad, Rice

Please share your weekly meal plan in the comments below! Thank you and have a great week!

Hello food friends. Another mind-boggling week, but also incredibly inspiring. As always, I am sending love and safety to you all through the ether! Also, join me on Twitter for must-read stories and thoughts from black voices. 

Okay, time to feed my family…and apologies in advance if you’re looking for meatless meal ideas from me this week. Apparently I’m low on iron? Holy meaty menu! Don’t forget to peruse the menus shared in the comments, too!

MONDAY:

• Pasta Bolognese

TUESDAY:

• Sausage, Pepper & Onion Hoagies

WEDNESDAY:

• Slow Cooker Pot Roast
• Mashed potatoes and side vegetable

THURSDAY:

• Leftovers

FRIDAY:

• Barbecue Chicken Salad

SATURDAY:

• Local Takeout

SUNDAY:

• Ribs (Carry-over from last week because I forgot to take the ribs out of the freezer in time for cooking these, darnit! Now we gotta wait another week!)
• Green Salad, Potato Salad, Rice

Please share your menus below! They are truly the biggest help each week, thank you!