BBQ Chopped Salad

I love BBQ chopped salad!  Every time I go to BJ's, I order it.  Cheesecake Factory has it .. and I am in love!!  I knew it would be relatively easy to make -- but I do have one picky child who has a slight aversion to vegetables.  If SHE will eat this, then I know I have a winner!!

I searched the internet to find a relatively easy recipe, and from there, just created my own salad.

Ingredients

1 head of iceberg lettuce

1/2 of a jicama

1 can of corn (drained)

1 can of black beans (drained)

2 roma tomatoes (cut small)

1 green onion, cut thinly

1 avocado

Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)

grilled chicken w/ BBQ sauce on top

1/3 cup of BBQ sauce

1/3 cup of Ranch dressing

(optional)  French's Fried Onions

It was a time consuming process all at once -- but if you could have some of these already cut up, then it could be assembled fast.  While the chicken is grilling, cut up the lettuce into small pieces, cut up the jicama, tomatoes & green onion.  Drain the corn and black beans.  Cut up the avocado. 

 

 

I had four plates -- and one head of iceberg lettuce was too much, so maybe start with half a head?  I just piled on the toppings, complete with the chicken on top.  Mix the BBQ and the Ranch dressing together, and that is the dressing that goes on top of the salad.  I did not use very much on each person (because of the calorie and sugar count!) -- but enough to give it some taste.  I did add some French's Fried Onion on the top of it (b/c BJ's has onion straws on top of theirs) -- but next time I will do without.  I couldn't even taste the onions on it!  Probably next time I would do two avocados instead of one for four plates. 

Next time, I might even do two parts of BBQ to three parts of Ranch dressing.  (Maybe do 1/4 cup of BBQ and 1/3 cup Ranch? -- not sure, but I do remember tasting the Ranch dressing more at the restaurants).

Did my one said child eat the salad?  Yep!  My other salad eating child proclaimed it to be "the very best salad I have ever eaten!"  It truly was delicious!

{strawberry mozzarella salad}

My favorite salad in this entire world.... I tried this at my friend Mandi's house last year, and I slightly changed it a bit, but it's become my favorite salad hands down. I made this for our church's Christmas party, and it's been a hit since. I know the recipe has been passed too & from all parts of the US!

Add lettuce (the above was butter lettuce, which I'm not sure what that is, but I guess any kind of nice green lettuce will work), slice up some strawberries.

We had bought the small mozzarella balls and sliced those up, but I think those mozzarella sticks will work good too.

Then, crush up some candied pecans (we loved the glazed Pecan Pie flavored Pecans). Add those three ingredients to the lettuce.

Then, mix up these ingredients for the poppy seed dressing:
1/3 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp yellow mustard
3/4 c oil
1/3 c sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp poppy seeds

Normally, one could add 1 tsp finely chopped red onion, but I had forgotten it, and it was still delicious! I did not pour all of the dressing over it, maybe about 1/4 cup. I saved the rest in one of my new "oh so cute" mason jars. I have managed to make this salad a few more times, and every time I eat it, I just am "mmmmm-ing" all over again!