Everyday Mexican Salad -- The Colors of Anapra on My Table

I crossed the bridge to Anapra on Wednesday. The weekly visit. Lupita's conchas are excellent — eight years of practice, eight years of Rosa's recipe in her hands. The neighborhood women come at dawn. The children come after school. The bakery is what I dreamed it would be: a place that smells like home in a neighborhood that needed home.

Standing in Lupita’s bakery watching neighbors gather over something as honest as a concha, I was reminded that the best food doesn’t need to be complicated — it just needs to feel like it belongs. When I got home that Wednesday evening, I didn’t want to break the spell of the day with anything heavy or fussy. This Everyday Mexican Salad was exactly right: the same bright, familiar colors I’d carried home with me from Anapra, tossed together simply, without pretense — the kind of dish Rosa herself might have set on the table without a second thought.

Everyday Mexican Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen and thawed, or canned and drained)
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded Cotija cheese (or crumbled feta)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced (optional)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips, for topping

Instructions

1. Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
2. Prep the base. Add the chopped romaine to a large salad bowl. Top with cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, red onion, and jalapeño if using.
3. Add the delicate toppings. Gently place the diced avocado and Cotija cheese over the salad to avoid breaking them up during tossing.
4. Dress and toss. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
5. Finish and serve. Scatter fresh cilantro and tortilla strips over the top. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 320 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 420mg