Southwestern Chicken Salad

I had been waiting for that first 90+ degree day to whip up this favorite salad of ours!  Last Sunday was it!  John and I worked outside and soaked up the sun, relaxed with family and caught up on naps.  It was a blissfully calm day in our hectic lives.

I so enjoyed smelling the Russian Olive bushes blooming their hearts out and listened to every bee in a 5 mile radius hum a tune while collecting their pollen!  Those shrubs are forever horrid and dangerous, yet gracefully beautiful with the most intoxicating perfume that tempts you into keeping them around.
You may enjoy a "before" shot: 

We spent our day cleaning away all of the dead branches (piles and piles of the thorny buggers) trimming the weeds and all of the dead pine branches.  A previous owner really over planted this portion of our yard.  20 or so spruce and pine trees as well as the hedge of Russian Olives and some apple trees.  20 years later, with little sunlight penetrating the ground, the pines and hedges needed a massive makeover!  After shots will be coming soon-helps build anticipation right? 

For supper we needed fresh, fresh, fresh and cool, cool, cool!  I decided to make a family favorite.  John loves Mexican food, I love avacados and lime juice, the girls love crispy tortilla strips and salsa.

This is another of those "non-recipe" type salads...I just throw it together, using whatever is on hand.

The dressing is the very best part!  1/2 and 1/2, bottled Catalina or French dressing and fresh salsa!
I used romaine lettuce, drained black beans, crispy tortilla strips, cilantro, tomatoes, avacados, and chicken that I marinated in lime juice and chili powder.  Oh, and some cheese-of course!

Layer all of your ingredients and drizzle on the dressing!  So good, so refreshing on a hot day and very filling with the beans and chicken!