Mini Wedge Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

I first discovered a wedge salad at a fine-dining restaurant where my boyfriend and I celebrated our two-year anniversary. I recalled the first thought that crossed my mind was that it was a lazy way out of making a "real" salad however reality sunk in as soon as I took a bite. The crunchiness of the iceberg lettuce and condiments with creamy dressing sealed the deal for me. I now could say that I appreciate the imagination and creativity of turning a salad into something unrecognizable and simply delectable to make. 

 

Serves 2

 Ingredients: 

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce
• 1 roma tomato
• 2-3 slices bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled 
• ranch dressing (recipe below) 

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup of non-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 cup of milk and 2 tbsp. of vinegar)
• 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 clove garlic (pressed) 
• 1 tbsp. of honey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:

Slice the head of lettuce in half. Remove the core by cutting diagonally around it and cut each half into three wedges.  Drizzle with ranch dressing and sprinkle with bacon bits, diced tomatoes, and more dressing if desired.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, mix all ingredients until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Tiny Tostada Tacos

These are some of my favorite Mexican ingredients! I love refried beans and always request it in my burritos. Avocados usually comes with an additional fee when purchasing condiments for your food, but I relish in the fact that it's very rich and creamy, but in a healthy kind of way. As you can tell in my Cilantro Caprese Salad post, I can eat both raw whole or cherry tomatoes on it's own. Fresh tomatoes are naturally good for your overall health and I heard they promote beautiful skin and hair, too (health bonus points!).

 

This was the twitter photo I posted last night!  Were you able to tell what they were?

 

I heated the beans in a small pot over the stove for 5 minutes to make them warm and easy to scoop into the Tostitos.  The chopped avocados and tomatoes were next to go in and you can decide to add in other ingredients like I did. I chose to add some more color so I had American cheese and sour cream for a better salty and sour element, too. You can also substitute refried beans for ground beef if you're not a fan of beans, but I personally enjoyed these knowing that it's pack with everything nutritious!