Southwestern Caesar Salad

I've made this salad a whole bunch of times. It's an adaptation of Rachael Ray's version which you can find here. Hers is very good, and the dressing is absolutely delicious. I like to add chicken to mine to make it a main dish. And I make my own tortilla strips because I'm awesome. Also, I'm of the belief that a salad isn't any good unless it has tomatoes in it.

See those tomatoes in the picture? I grew those in my very own garden. I LOVE tomatoes. And I hate paying so much for them at the store. So this summer I'm growing my own. It's my way of standing up to The Man. It's possible I have some anger issues against The Man because every time I go into my garden to pick a tomato, I raise my fist into the air in victory. Not victory as in "Yay! I grew a tomato!" but victory as in "Take THAT!" to The Man. That's one less tomato I have to buy from you - The Man! As a disclaimer, I'm not really sure who The Man is, other than anyone I have to pay money to. I know that in this case farmers are not The Man, so it's probably the grocery store. I'm a confused rebel.

My rebellion may be rubbing off on Peyton a little. A few weeks ago I heard him singing to himself in his room. I crept up to listen in and I heard his sweet little voice singing Bob Marley:

"Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!

Get up, stand up: don't give up the fight!"

I know, totally proof that I'm raising my son right.

And then other night, we were reading, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie." And I'm not kidding, after every page Peyton would raise his fist into the air and yell, "POWER TO THE PEOPLE!" I'm sure what "POWER TO THE PEOPLE!" had to do with the story, but it took me twice as long to read because I was laughing so hard.

Anyway, whatever, here's the recipe (I included the chicken and tomatoes, and I don't like to measure, so just add as much as you like).

Southwestern Caesar Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chili powder

A little bit of honey, to sweeten the dressing
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Grilled chicken breasts, chopped - I put blackening spices on mine

Tomatoes, chopped
Blue corn, black bean or other tortilla chips (If you want to be awesome, like me, make your own - recipe below)

1/4 cup smoked cheddar and 1/4 cup pepper Jack

Chop and place romaine in a large salad bowl. Whisk together garlic, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, chili powder, and honey in a small bowl. Continue whisking while streaming in extra-virgin olive oil. When dressing is combined, toss Romaine salad with dressing and garnish salad with chicken, tomatoes, broken tortilla chips, smoked cheddar and pepper Jack cheese.

Tortilla Strips: Cut some corn tortillas in little strips. I stack up a bunch of whole tortillas and then slice them. Toss the strips in a little olive oil and any combination of spices - I like cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper. Spread them out in one layer on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes. Stir them up and bake until they are golden brown. They will keep cooking a little after you take them out of the oven, so watch them closely. Also, they can turn from golden brown to burnt in a matter of minutes, so be careful.

Enjoy!