Party Salad.....

Cryin' Cactus Salad

(149 cal. per serving, 20% from fat)

Ingredients:

4     quarts bite-size pieces rinsed, crisped romaine lettuce

1     jar (15oz.) nopalitos (cactus pads), rinsed until no longer slippery, and drained

1     can (15 oz.) yellow hominy, drained

1     jar (7 oz.) peeled roasted red peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips

4     tomatillos (1/2 lb. total), husked, rinsed, and thinly sliced

1/2  cup orange juice

1/4  cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/4  cup chipotle chili hot sauce

       Fruit-based habanero or Scotch bonnet chili hot sauce(optional, see notes)

1/2  pound chorizo sausage (optional)

2     tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Preparation and Cook Time: About 35 minutes

Notes: For a mildly pungent salad, omit the habanero hot sauce; for moderate heat, use 3 tablespoons; for blazing tongues, add 1/3 cup.

Serves: 6

1. Put lettuce n a wide, shallow bowl and top with nopalitos, hominy, red peppers, and tomatillos.

2. In a blender, combine orange juice, mayonnaise, and chipotle and habanero hot sauces and whirl until dressing is smooth.

3. Squeeze chorizo from casings into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat; discard casings. Break sausage into chunks with a spoon and stir often until brown and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

4. Scatter chorizo over salad. Stir cilantro into dressing, pour over salad, and mix.

Per main-dish serving: 149 cal., 20% (30 cal.) from fat; 4.1 g protein; 3.3 g fat (0.5 g sat.); 25 g carbo (5.6 g fiber); 1,355 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.