6 Simple Latin Salads Anyone Can Do

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When it comes to Latin food, some of the first things that come to mind are tacos, nachos, enchiladas, burritos, and the like. What most don't know is that Latin cuisine also has their own version of the Western salad, albeit with flavorful, colorful, and sometimes, spicy ingredients. Check out some choice Latin salad selections to cook up for dinner tonight.

1. Romaine salad with chipotle dressing and warm queso fresco. This recipe from Epicurious features the much-loved romaine lettuce, seasoned with chipotle hot sauce, cornflakes, oregano, a bit of sugar, and extra-virgin olive oil. It also features round Mexican queso fresco cheese for that salty taste to go with the heat. Check out the recipe here.

2. Grilled chicken taco salad. This favorite features most Mexican ingredients you can find in a taco, but in a salad form. It's a great dish to create with the family, as it requires some chopping and slicing for the tomato, avocado, lime, cilantro, and tomatoes. It's a 30-minute prep that involves grilling chicken breast, and mixing black beans, salsa, cilantro, and lime juice in a separate bowl while mixing together the spices that bring the salad alive: chili powder, cumin, coriander, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and olive oil. Once cooked put the chicken on the grilled corn tortillas before topping with the bean mixture, lettuce, and cilantro. Top it off with some avocado and sour cream for a full effect. Get the recipe at All Recipes.

3. Black bean and corn salad. This salad is as flavorful as it is bright and colorful. Featuring black beans, corn kernels, avocado, red bell pepper, tomatoes, green onions, and cilantro, this super easy to make salad is brought to life by fresh lime juice, garlic, cayenne pepper, and olive oil. It only takes 25 minutes to prepare. Get the recipe at All Recipes.

4. Green cabbage salad with spiced pepitas. Want some spice to turn up the heat on a chilly day? This easy to make salad from Fine Cooking features cilantro, lime, and chili powder tossed with some Cotija for extra flavor. It has about 250 calories, and four grams of fiber.

5. Mexican style slaw with jicama, cilantro, and lime. Love coleslaw? Give it a Latin spin with this 130-calorie-per-serving slaw that features red or green cabbage (or both!), jicama, scallions, cilantro, and jalapeño for spice. You can shred the cabbage yourself or use a food processor using the 4mm slicing disk. To get the whole recipe, head over to Fine Cooking.

6. Warm butternut squash with heirloom tomato salad. This is probably the easiest Mexican salad to make, and you only need a tablespoon of coconut oil, 2 cups diced butternut squash, half a small onion (diced), a cup of heirloom cherry tomatoes (halved), two tablespoons of cotija cheese, and two tablespoons of hemp hearts. This warm salad is made by sauteing the coconut oil and adding the butternut squash and onion until the squash is tender and the onion is caramelized. Add in the tomatoes and stir them in, seasoning with salt and pepper. Top with cotija and hemp hearts before serving. Head over to The Latin Kitchen for more details.