Southwest Chicken Salad with Salsa Ranch Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), boneless and skinless, poached and shredded*
• 6 cups of kale and romaine lettuce, mixed, roughly chopped**
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (full-fat or reduced-fat)***
• 1 can black beans (reduced sodium), 15-ounce can
• 1 cup corn, cooked from a microwavable pack****
• 1 large bell pepper (red, orange or yellow), diced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 4 green onions (or scallions) with tops and bulbs, thinly sliced
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 ripe avocado peeled, pitted and diced or sliced
• 1-2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
• 1/2-1 cup cilantro leaves, loosely packed
• 8 tablespooons corn tortilla strips (optional)
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 pinches cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
• 1/2 cup your choice of prepared salsa
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon prepared Southwest seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1-2 tablespoons buttermilk or regular milk, as needed for desired consistency
• Salt
• pepper