I made dishes such as pots of chicken soup, big batches of meatballs, platters of pasta and roasted potatoes, and endless iterations of grilled vegetables topped with herbs, nuts, cheese, lemon and olive oil. For dessert, I baked cobblers, crisps and homey cakes. No pastries on my watch! For lunch, I’d offer BLTs or tuna melts, sometimes burgers or grilled fish sandwiches. I’d serve these with sides such as herby potato salad, or tomato and peach salads. And I’d often make chopped salads, one of my absolute favorite things to prepare and eat.
I love chopped salads because anything can go in them. They’re a catchall. They’re a way to turn a side dish into a hearty, substantial meal. And one of my best versions was the one I’m sharing with you today: a Tex-Mex-inspired, crunchy romaine salad adorned with corn, black beans and radishes, all topped with seared shrimp and enveloped with creamy green goddess dressing.
For this salad, I lean on canned corn and black beans, because the first is reliably sweet and the second reliably tender. Plus, they’re both quick and easy to use, a key for a busy private chef — or just anyone trying to make dinner. Of course, if there’s fresh sweet corn where you live, by all means, use it!
For the dressing, I employ avocado as the fat rather than oil, only because I find it’s a great strategy for avocados that have gone a little mushy. If you’d prefer to use mayonnaise (regular or vegan), you can (just see the substitutions list below the recipe for amounts). The herbs in the dressing are also flexible, and this is an ideal way to finish off any extra herbs you may have on hand. One last note about the dressing: You’ll probably have leftovers, which can be used as a dip for vegetables or as a spread on sandwiches.
Feel free to riff on everything else in the salad. Use what you’ve got, and experiment with different combinations. Be your own private chef!
