Mexican Salad and Quesadillas

This is another one of my recipes that I go to frequently when it's hot outside and we don't feel like eating anything hot.  It is not a taco salad, because there is no meat in this salad, but it's extremely tasty.  Because it contains Nacho Cheese Doritos, which kids love, serving this is how I got my boys to start eating salad!

I first tasted this salad at a potluck meal at the church I was raised at over 30 years ago and liked it so much I asked for a copy of the recipe.  Currently it is one of the meals my youngest son requests often.    I always serve this salad with cheese quesadillas, for which I will also share the method below.  This meal gets 8x and 9s on the Melnarik rating scale.

I begin by putting the romaine lettuce in a large bowl, tearing the pieces to make them bite size.  Then, I add the green onions and minced garlic.  I toss these ingredients to combine them, making sure the garlic is evenly distributed. 

In the meantime, I begin making the quesadillas.  On a griddle over medium-low heat, I place a flour tortilla.  To that, I add some shredded medium cheddar cheese and put several dollops of medium salsa for extra flavor.

I place another tortilla on top and cover the whole thing with a pan lid.  This helps the cheese melt by steam as well as the heat below.  I let it go for a minute or so, then gently lift the side of the top tortilla to see if the cheese is melted.  Once it is, I flip the whole thing so the cheese melts to the other tortilla.  

When the quesadilla gets flipped, the first side should be a bit toasty like in the picture above.  It doesn't take long on the second side, maybe about 30 seconds.  Then I remove it to a plate where I use a pizza cutter to cut it into wedges.  Depending on the size of the tortillas I use, I usually make 2 - 3 quesadillas to serve our family of four.

While the quesadillas cook, I continue with the salad by adding the shredded mozzarella cheese and diced tomatoes, tossing again to combine.

The next ingredient is the Nacho Cheese Doritos, which I've crushed slightly.  These are added just before serving, so they don't become soft from the moist ingredients in this salad.

The last ingredient is the Russian salad dressing.  I've made this salad so many times, I can add the right amount just by how it looks.  I would suggest the first time that you add a little salad dressing, toss it in, taste it and keep doing that until you get the desired amount according to your family's taste.  

I serve this salad immediately after tossing in the salad dressing.  It has great texture and crunch and is a wonderfully cool thing to eat on an extremely hot day.  Enjoy!

Mexican Salad

1 large stock romaine lettuce, torn  (or 1-16 oz. bag torn romaine)

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 green onions, chopped

3 Roma tomatoes, chopped

10 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated

1/2 of a 11 1/2 oz. bag Nacho Cheese Doritos, coarsely crushed

8 oz. (1 cup) Russian salad dressing

Place lettuce in a large bowl, tearing into bite size pieces.  Add garlic and green onions; toss to combine.  Add tomatoes and cheese; toss to combine.  Add Doritos; toss to combine.  Add dressing; toss to combine.  Serve immediately.