This simple Carne Asada Salad is made with my favorite homemade carne asada, a light chipotle lime yogurt dressing, red onions, and tomatoes served over a bed of crisp romaine lettuce.
Last week, I shared Carne Asada Burrito Bowls made with my favorite Carne Asada recipe . And friends, I’m still on a carne asada kick (the best, most delicious sort of kick), so today I have another carne asada recipe for you: Carne Asada Salad.
Carne Asada for Salad
I know it’s not necessarily the first meat that comes to mind when you think of a protein for salad, but carne asada is actually pretty perfect for the job. Cooked right, it’s plenty tender, so it’s great over a bed of crunchy romaine. And it packs a ton of flavor, so no sad, boring salads here.
For this recipe, we’re using the same citrus-based carne asada marinade and broiler method that I shared in my favorite Carne Asada recipe. The meat needs at least four hours of marinating, but is at its best with a full twenty four, so I recommend starting the marinating process the night before.
And, if you marinate your meat the night before, everything else about this dish is so quick and easy that you can have dinner on the table in less than half an hour.
Chipotle Lime Yogurt Dressing
In the recipe below, I’ve included the recipe for chipotle lime yogurt dressing, a really simple dressing made of lime juice, chipotle chili powder, yogurt, and milk. Since it’s yogurt-based, it’s creamy, tangy, and satisfying, but very low in calories.
If you don’t like yogurt or don’t feel like making your own dressing, not a problem. Use whatever dressing sounds good to you. A Cilantro Ranch or South-western Style dressing would be top of my list.
Carne Asada Salad Recipe Notes
- This recipe calls for romaine lettuce, but you can use your favorite salad mix or whatever you have in your fridge. If you’re looking for a speedy way to chop romaine, take a look at How to Cut Romaine for Salads .
- You might also enjoy Chicken Shawarma Salad , Asian Chicken Salad , Chicken Fajita Salad , and BLT Salad .
Ingredients
Carne Asada
- ▢ 1/2 cup orange juice bottled is fine
- ▢ 1/2 cup soy sauce low-sodium is fine
- ▢ 1/4 cup lemon juice bottled is fine
- ▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
- ▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice bottled is fine
- ▢ 2 cloves garlic pressed or diced
- ▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
- ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper OR 1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle pepper optional
- ▢ 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped about 3/4-1 cup very loosely packed
- ▢ 1 1/2 pounds skirt, flank, or flap steak
Salad
- ▢ 1 large head romaine lettuce chopped
- ▢ 1 avocado sliced
- ▢ 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes or tomatoes of your choosing
- ▢ 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
- ▢ 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese OR shredded Mexican cheese blend
Chipotle Lime Yogurt Dressing
- ▢ 1 5-ounce container plain, unsweetened yogurt Greek is fine
- ▢ Juice from 1/2 lime about 1 1/2 teaspoons juice
- ▢ 1 teaspoon milk any percentage, plus more as needed
- ▢ 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or 1 teaspoon sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- ▢ 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ Pepper to taste
Instructions
Carne Asada Marinade
- In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, stir together all marinade ingredients. Place beef in a gallon plastic bag or container and pour marinade over the top. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably 24, flipping the meat halfway through.
Carne Asada
- Adjust the top rack in your oven so it’s about 4 inches from the broiler and heat broiler on high. Transfer meat to a foil-lined heavy-duty baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer reads 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium.
- Allow meat to rest before slicing for 5 to 10 minutes while you assemble the rest of your salad.
Chipotle Lime Yogurt Dressing
- In a small bowl, stir together all dressing ingredients. Add milk by the teaspoon until your dressing reaches your desired consistency and add more salt and pepper to taste.
Salad
- Top romaine lettuce with sliced carne asada, avocado, tomatoes, and onion, and sprinkle crumbled cotija cheese over the top. Serve with the chipotle lime dressing and enjoy!
This soft and incredibly moist Small Red Velvet cake is a little chocolatey, buttery, and beautifully, boldly red. The recipe includes instructions for traditional Ermine Frosting and Cream Cheese Frosting.
Hey, friends, I have something a little different for you today, a reader-submitted recipe.
This recipe for a Small Red Velvet Cake was ever-so-kindly sent to me by ‘Becca Ashley, and I’m so excited for you guys to try it because this is a superb little cake.
A Six-inch Red Velvet Cake
This recipe makes a six-inch, two-layer red velvet cake, which can be cut into four to six cute little slices. It’s a good size for a couple to polish off over a weekend or if you’re having a friend or two over for dinner.
The cake is soft, incredibly moist, and totally adorable. Like any good red velvet cake, this one’s a little chocolatey, buttery, with a slight buttermilk tang, and beautifully, boldly red.
The cake itself is so good you could happily eat it on its own (I may have done that the first time I made this…), but it’s even better with frosting. And for the frosting, I’m giving you two options.
Ermine Frosting
Classic red velvet cake is made with ermine frosting, AKA boiled milk frosting, AKA flour buttercream. It’s a buttercream variation that is made with a milk, sugar, and flour pudding which gets cooled and beaten into room-temperature butter.
The result is a frosting that is much less sweet than American buttercreams (frosting made with butter, powdered sugar, and a little milk), with a texture that is similar to but heavier than whipped cream.
If you’ve ever complained about frosting being too sweet, this is the recipe for you. It’s amazing over red velvet cake and is what I used on the cake in the photos.
My taste-testers absolutely loved it, and all of them told me that they loved it because it was exactly the perfect level of sweet.
Cream Cheese Frosting
And don’t worry, cream cheese lovers, if for you, red velvet cake isn’t red velvet cake without cream cheese frosting, I’ve got you covered. I’ve included the recipe for my favorite Cream Cheese Frosting along with the ermine frosting, so you can make the red velvet cake that’s in your heart.
Small Red Velvet Cake Recipe Notes
- Ermine frosting has a slightly different texture than other buttercreams. It’s very smooth and creamy on the tongue but has a bit more texture when you spread it. If you’ve never made ermine frosting before, don’t be alarmed if your frosting looks a little different than American buttercreams.
- This recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of red food coloring , which is about half of a 1-ounce bottle (more than you’d think). Double check your red food coloring stock before you get started.
- For more small-batch desserts , try this Small Chocolate Cake , Small Banana Cake , Mini Chocolate Sheet Cake and Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie for Two .
Ingredients
Special Equipment
- ▢ 2 6-inch cake pans
- ▢ Parchment paper for cake pans
- ▢ Fine-mesh strainer for sifting dry ingredients and straining
- ▢ Handheld electric mixer
- ▢ Plastic wrap for Ermine Frosting
6-inch Red Velvet Cake
- ▢ 1/4 cup ( 2oz ) butter softened
- ▢ 3/4 cup ( 150g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 1 large egg room temperature
- ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ▢ 1 tablespoon red food coloring
- ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or apple cider
- ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1 cup and 3 tablespoons ( 142g ) cake flour sifted
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ( 5g ) cocoa powder sifted
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
- ▢ 1/2 cup buttermilk
Ermine Frosting
- ▢ 3/4 cup ( 150g ) granulated sugar
- ▢ 3/4 cup milk preferably whole
- ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 23g ) flour all-purpose or cake flour is fine
- ▢ 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ Pinch of salt
- ▢ 3/4 cup ( 6oz ) butter softened
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ▢ 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ▢ 1/2 cup ( 4oz ) butter softened
- ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ▢ 1 1/2 cup ( 180g ) powdered sugar sifted, plus more as needed
- ▢ 1 tablespoon milk as needed
- ▢ Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- If making Ermine Frosting, skip to the frosting and complete steps 1-3 so pudding can cool while you make your cake.
Red Velvet Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two six-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, beat butter until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until well-combined, about 2 minutes.
- Add egg, oil, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla, and beat until well-combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together sifted flour, cocoa podwer, baking soda, and salt.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until just-combined. Add all of the buttermilk, mixing until just-combined, repeating with the rest of the flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the edges and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixed.
- Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 21 to 26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the cakes comes out clean or with just a few crumbs.*
- Cool cakes in their pans for 10 to 15 minutes before running a plastic knife or spatula around the edges of the cakes to make sure they’re not stuck to the pan. Remove cakes from pans and transfer them to a cooling rack (discard parchment paper). Cool completely before frosting.
Ermine Frosting
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, milk, and flour. Heat over medium heat, whisking frequently, until thick and bubbly, about the consistency of thin pudding. This should take 5 to 10 minutes.
- Set a fine-mesh strainer over a heat-proof bowl and pour milk mixture through the strainer to remove any lumps. Use a rubber spatula to make sure all of the mixture gets pushed through.
- Whisk in vanilla and salt. Cool on the counter for 10 minutes before covering with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature while you bake and cool your cake.
- Once milk mixture is completely cooled (if it’s warm, it will melt your butter), in a medium bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add milk mixture, 1 heaping tablespoon at a time, and beat well after each addition. Once all of the milk mixture has been added, beat frosting until it reaches your desired consistency.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
- Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth and creamy. If frosting is too thick for your taste, add milk by the teaspoon until it reaches your desired consistency. For stiffer frosting, beat in sifted powdered sugar by the heaping tablespoon until it thickens.
To Frost the Cake
- If necessary, use a serrated knife to cut the dome off the bottom cake layer and level it. Place bottom layer on cake stand or plate, using a small dollop of frosting to anchor it.
- Spread 1/3 of the frosting over the bottom layer. Place second layer over the frosting and use the rest of the frosting over the body of the cake, starting at the top and spreading the frosting down the sides.
- Add sprinkles if desired. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
The best way to cook asparagus in the oven for a quick and easy side dish.
Hey, friends, popping in today with a super quick and simple vegetable side dish for you. Asparagus in the oven AKA roasted asparagus.
This is one of my favorite easy, no-fuss side dishes, AND it’s the first vegetable I ever learned to cook as a kid. Now that it’s asparagus season here in California, it seemed like the perfect time to post this recipe.
Ingredients
- Olive oil: Good quality olive oil will help enhance the flavor of the asparagus and keep it from sticking to the roasting pan as it cooks.
- Asparagus: Choose asparagus with tightly closed tips that have a bright, vibrant color not faded or dull. Spear size is a matter of preference, but keep in mind that it will affect cooking time quite a lot.
- Salt and pepper: Salt and pepper are all you really need for excellent roasted asparagus, but you can add powdered garlic, onion powder, or whatever spices you prefer.
How to Prep Asparagus
Start with washed and dried asparagus and trim off the tough woody end of the stem, usually a couple inches from the bottom.
How to Trim Asparagus
If you’ve never worked with asparagus before, and you’re not sure how to far up the stalk to trim, take a single spear, and bend the bottom third until it snaps. The place where it snaps should be just above the woody end.
Find that place on the rest of the bunch, line up a handful of them, and use a sharp knife to slice off the ends.
How to Cook Asparagus in the Oven
Place asparagus on a baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. Shake the pan a few times so the asparagus rolls around and gets coated on all sides.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake at 425°F for 8 to 15 minutes (cooking time can differ quite a bit depending on asparagus size), until asparagus is tender but not mushy.
- Serve and enjoy!
Variations
Want to switch things up? Try one of these flavor variations:
- Lemon Asparagus: Add 1 tablespoon of (preferable freshly squeezed) lemon juice per pound of asparagus at the same time that you add the olive oil. Toss to coat.
- Garlic Asparagus: Mince 3 cloves of garlic and stir them together with the olive oil before pouring it over the asparagus and roasting.
- Cheesy Asparagus: After tossing with olive oil, line the asparagus spears up and sprinkle with 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan.
How to Store Asparagus
Right when you get home from the grocery store, trim about a half inch off the very bottom of the asparagus spears like you would a bouquet of flowers.
In a heavy cup, liquid measuring cup or wide-mouth mason jar , add about an inch of water.
Place spears in the water and loosely cover the top of the asparagus with a bread bag. You can also use the produce bag you brought the asparagus home in (if it’s damp, turn it inside out). Store in the refrigerator.
Asparagus will stay fresh for 3 to 4 days, 5 if it was really fresh when you bought it.
What to Serve With Roasted Asparagus
Oven-baked asparagus goes extremely well with meaty mains because it has such a light, clean flavor. Try serving it with Tri-tip , Country-style Pork Ribs , and Chicken Francaise .
More Fool-proof Vegetable Sides
- Butter and Garlic Green Beans
- The Best Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Green Beans
- Quick Microwave-steamed Broccoli
- Oven-roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 bunch ( about 1 pound ) asparagus washed and dried
- ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Trim or snap woody ends from asparagus spears and dry well. Place in a single layer on your baking sheet.
- Drizzle with olive oil and shake the tray a couple times to coat the asparagus.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 8 to 15 minutes, until asparagus is tender crisp. Serve and enjoy.
Carne Asada Salad
Ingredients
Carne Asada
- 1/2 cup orange juice bottled is fine
- 1/2 cup soy sauce low-sodium is fine
- 1/4 cup lemon juice bottled is fine
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice bottled is fine
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or diced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper OR 1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle pepper optional
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped about 3/4-1 cup very loosely packed
- 1 1/2 pounds skirt, flank, or flap steak
Salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 cup sliced grape or cherry tomatoes or tomatoes of your choosing
- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese OR shredded Mexican cheese blend
Chipotle Lime Yogurt Dressing
- 1 5-ounce container plain, unsweetened yogurt Greek is fine
- Juice from 1/2 lime about 1 1/2 teaspoons juice
- 1 teaspoon milk any percentage, plus more as needed
- 1/8 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or 1 teaspoon sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
Carne Asada Marinade
- In a liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, stir together all marinade ingredients. Place beef in a gallon plastic bag or container and pour marinade over the top. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably 24, flipping the meat halfway through.
Carne Asada
- Adjust the top rack in your oven so it’s about 4 inches from the broiler and heat broiler on high. Transfer meat to a foil-lined heavy-duty baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until an instant-read thermometer reads 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium.
- Allow meat to rest before slicing for 5 to 10 minutes while you assemble the rest of your salad.
Chipotle Lime Yogurt Dressing
- In a small bowl, stir together all dressing ingredients. Add milk by the teaspoon until your dressing reaches your desired consistency and add more salt and pepper to taste.
Salad
- Top romaine lettuce with sliced carne asada, avocado, tomatoes, and onion, and sprinkle crumbled cotija cheese over the top. Serve with the chipotle lime dressing and enjoy!
