Cornmeal Crusted Chicken with Southwestern Salsa Salad

Sorry I have been MIA... life has been crazy and while I have been cooking (on occasion) for the kids I haven't taken pictures or had time to document the recipes. Here's a salad I made on Thursday that was particularly delicious. The salsa was great as a leftover and I would serve it alone as a side course to a summer meal.

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber, diced

1 box frozen corn, or large can
1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 scallions, cut into thin slices

1 lg. bunch of cilantro, shredded

1 head of Romaine lettuce, (or 2 heads from 1 package)

1 lb. chicken strips

1 jar lowfat Ranch dressing such as Hidden Valley

1/2 cup of skim or lowfat milk

2 tbs Cider vinegar

Olive oil

1 cup of corn meal

1 cup of Italian bread crumbs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbs. Italian seasoning

In a large mixing bowl add 1/2 cup of Ranch dressing with 1/2 cup of milk, whisk together well and let chicken soak for at least 10 minutes

In another mixing bowl combine cornmeal, bread crumbs, Italian seasonings, salt and garlic powder and mix well

Set asside a large fot he salsa and add beans, corn (cook if using frozen), diced cucumber, diced pepper, cilantro and 3 tbs of dressing, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbs of cider vinegar and mix well. If desired add more of the ranch dressing. Let marinate

In a large saute pan add a couple of Tbs of Olive oil and heat pan. Dip the chicken in to the breading mixture and cook approx 6 minutes on each side, (over med. high heat) or longer to achieve desired browness. As oil gets absorbed into the chicken you may want to add more to your pan. If some peices are particularly thick you may want to cut into the center to check for doneness. As each piece is done place on a paper towel to drain.

Cut or shred Romaine lettuce and place a handful in a bowl or plate. Place a large spoonful of salsa on top the the lettuce and some chicken on top of the salsa. Add one more layer of salsa on top of the chicken be sure to get a good bit of the dressing too.