Tart and sweet. That’s where it’s at for me when it comes to making salad. This salad scores a perfect 10 in both categories AND it is served in a tortilla bowl. If you are looking to impress your guests, tortilla bowls are the way to go. There is something infinitely enjoyable and exciting about serving food in an edible dish. It’s probably the seven-year-old in all of us.
Tortilla bowls will also help you avoid the usual “small talk” conversations. First, you will spark a deeply scientific debate about how exactly you accomplished the amazing feat of turning a flat pliable substance into a rigid bowl, seemingly defying all physical laws. And second, when you do not reveal your secret, they will think you are a Goddess/God. As you can tell, I am a fan of the tortilla bowl! The other added bonus of the tortilla bowl is that your guests will look ridiculous as they try to eat it! If you are looking to have a fine-dining experience, tortilla bowls are not the answer. However, if you’ve gathered a close group of family and friends, who love to laugh at themselves and each other, try out these tortilla bowls and watch as everyone T R I E S to eat gracefully; keep your camera at the ready 🙂
- 1 Large head red leaf lettuce, chopped
- 1 Red onion sautéed
- ½ Cup sour cherries**
- ½ Green apple
- Toasted almond slices to top salad
- 3 Whole wheat tortillas for making bowls
- Optional: substitute avocado for the green apple if you are looking to cut down on the tartness of this salad.
- 3 Tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
- 1 Scant tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Pinch salt
- Drop of maple syrup
- ⅓ Cup olive oil
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- Lightly spray your tortillas with olive oil, and using a turned-over muffin tin, shape them into bowls (see picture).
- Bake tortillas for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them and if they are getting too dark remove from oven. If they do not seem crispy enough after 15 minutes, bake longer.*
- Sauté a red onion until it begins to brown and set aside.
- Chop your lettuce, wash, dry, and set aside.
- Cover a 9 x 13 toaster pan with sliced almonds and toast until they are slightly browned (watch these very carefully!!).
- Prepare your sour cherries and set aside.**
- Slice your green apple into bit size chunks.
- For the dressing: combine red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and maple syrup in a bowl that will accommodate vigorous whisking. In a gentle stream, pour olive oil into your bowl while whisking. Once all the oil is added,whisk vigorously until all of the oil is incorporated. Now taste test it. Adjust flavors to your preferences.***
- Dress your lettuce by hand.
- Dress your other ingredients by hand.
- Layer the base of each tortilla bowl with your lettuce then top with apples, onions, sour cherries, and additional lettuce. Then top it all off with your toasted sliced almonds.
**There are a lot of different ways to buy sour cherries: fresh, frozen, dried, and in jams. Depending on what form your cherries are in, you will have to take different steps to prep them, or no steps as in the case of dried sour cherries. I have a sour cherry jam that I love from Spoon Fruit. I pick out about ¼ - ½ cup of cherries from the jam and use those in the salad.
***This dressing is adapted from the theminimalistbaker.com.
