Salad Ingredients:

• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• fresh corn kernels from 1 ear of sweet corn
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/4 cup chopped red onions
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup roasted and salted pepitas (may sub. sunflower seeds)
• 1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese, or more to taste
• Tortilla Strips for Salads (I like Fresh Gourmet Santa Fe Style)
• 1 small avocado, peeled and sliced
• 1 small jalapeno, seeded, deveined and roughly chopped (optional)

Creamy Avocado Salad Dressing:

• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro
• 1/4 cup sour cream (may sub.plain Greek yogurt)
• 1/4 cup salsa (medium for more of a kick)
• 1/4 cup milk
• juice from 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt, ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp pepper, smoked paprika
• Hot sauce to taste (optional)