Carne Asada Salad

(subtle heat plus crunchy cool)

Hi friends and Happy Friday to you all! A special welcome to those who found your way here from FoodStack Library, the cool place to hang out and read your favorite food writers.

If you missed it, my recent guest post on FoodStack Library includes a recipe for Korean bulgogi street tacos.

Do these look good or what?

What’s Ahead

Before diving into this week’s recipe for Carne Asada Salad, let’s sneak a peek at what’s ahead in the next few weeks. I’m calling it Oven Evasion Month.

The hot weather in Southern California is just getting ramped up. August is the hottest month in SoCal with the average high temp in my local area being 99F/37C. We certainly don’t want anything (like an oven!) adding to the heat in the kitchen and home.

Every recipe featured next month will be cooked using other appliances like the microwave, stove top, rice cooker, and waffle iron. Plus, there will be a no-bake dessert that is worth the calories. It’s something to look forward to, despite the hot days ahead.

So now, let’s talk about this week’s salad which, ironically, features chiles.

Dried Chiles

It is interesting that chili peppers have different names when they are fresh versus when they are dried. For example:

• Fresh jalapeno is called chipotle when dried.

• Fresh poblano goes by ancho when dried.

• Fresh Anaheim becomes Colorado when dried.

Guajillo chiles are the dried version of fresh marisol chiles. These reddish-brown chiles have smooth and shiny skin, all without the aid of tretinoin. Their mild heat and fruity flavor are a great addition to marinades, salsas, and other sauces.

This week’s recipe combines guajillos with ancho, an even milder chili pepper. The dried chiles are slightly softened then pureed into the marinade. This adds bright chili flavor without the scorching heat.

Don’t be afraid of the dried chiles in this recipe. Even my middle-aged insides can handle these.

Dried chiles are available at grocery stores in California but might not be where you live. Try Latino markets, spice stores, or if all else fails, Amazon.

They bring smoky flavor, color, and depth to the sauce, which doubles as both marinade and dressing. This marinade is so, so delicious on it’s own and even more so on the salad.

Bright, fresh, crunchy, and so good.