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Carnita Salad with Citrus Chipotle Dressing

Makes 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Dressing

1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 1 large orange)
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 2 large limes)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 to 3 tsp. honey
1 large clove garlic
2 to 4 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
Salt and pepper, to taste

Salad

1 to 2 lbs. cooked pork carnitas, warm or room temperature
1 head of green leaf lettuce (or lettuce of your choice), torn or chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 pint cherry tomatoes or 1 large tomato, cut into 8 or more slices
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, sliced into thin strips or chunks
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese and/or Monterrey Jack Cheese (I used a Mexican cheese blend)

Process

Prepare the dressing (this can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for a day or two): In a food processor or blender, combine the orange and lime juices, olive oil, 1 tsp. honey, garlic and 2 chipotle peppers. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking by adding extra honey, peppers and/or a dash of salt and pepper. Chill dressing in the fridge while you prepare the salad.
Divide the lettuce among each salad bowl. Top with peppers, tomatoes, carrots, avocado slices and cheese.
Heat up leftover carnitas in the microwave to your desired temperature. Drain off any juice, but keep the jalapenos and red onions. Add a large helping of carnitas on top of the salad. Serve immediately with citrus chipotle dressing.

Recipe Notes

This salad would work just as well with shredded chicken or ground beef instead of carnitas.

The dressing will keep longer (about a week) if you use garlic powder instead of raw garlic. Start with 1/8 tsp. garlic powder and then adjust if necessary.