The best salad I have eaten in years is the Mexican Chicken Salad served at Cafe for All Seasons on West Portal in San Francisco. Frank and Donna Katzl do a really fabulous job of running this cheerful, family restaurant with absolutely delicious food. Cafe for All Seasons has been donating to Food Runners for years.

Look for the segment on Food Runners on Evening Magazine at 7 p.m. on KPIX-Channel 5. You will learn all about Food Runners and see the Cafe for All Seasons!

Download these recipes as a PDF.

Ingredients
2 heads Romaine lettuce
8 oz. cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/2 cup fresh corn, shucked from the cob
1/2 cup chopped firm ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped red onions
1 small avocado, chopped
2/3 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
1 cup Cumin Dressing (see below)

Instructions
Remove the outer leaves from the lettuce, then slice it thinly. Place in a large bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Divide onto 8 plates and sprinkle with the following ingredients in this order:
1 cup crispy (deep-fried) tortilla strips, 1/2-inch
1 cup spicy sour cream sauce (see below)
1/3 cup chopped green onions

Cumin Dressing (2 -1/2 cups)

Ingredients
3 Tbs. water
3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. coarse salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbs. tomato catsup
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/3 cup other vegetable oil
1 Tbs. ground cumin

Instructions
Whisk the above ingredients in a medium-size bowl until well blended.

Spicy Sour Cream Sauce (about 1 cup)

Ingredients
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbs. chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
3/4 tsp. coarse salt

Instructions
Put the above ingredients in an electric food processor and blend for 1- minutes. Let set in refrigerator for about an hour, to develop flavor.

Serves 8.

© Mary S. Risley