Surely you’ve heard of watermelon feta salad. Now meet pineapple cotija salad. It’s simple and refreshing, as any summer salad should be.
I was already buying pineapple for the pan grilled pork chops with pineapple salsa I was planning on making and I had been wanting cotija cheese for tacos this week, so I thought why not combine the extra from the two and make a salad? Of course, then the pork chop recipe used an entire pineapple, so I had to wait for the next week to make this salad.
This salad has pineapple, cotija cheese, a super green mix (although you can use your favorite mixed greens), olive oil, orange juice, white vinegar, red onion, and cilantro.
I only wish I had better photos to show you how good it is.
This pineapple cotija salad is refreshing and perfect for summer. There is lots of herby goodness from the cilantro and just a bit of tang along with lots of sweetness.
Pineapple cotija salad
Recipe yields 4 servings.
5 oz package super green mix
1 1/2 cups chopped pineapple
3 oz cotija cheese, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
2 tbsp red onion
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Add the olive oil, orange juice, white vinegar, salt and black pepper to a big bowl. Mix with a whisk. Then add the salad mix and toppings, and toss. Top with cotija cheese.
Note: If you want to make this a more hearty salad, you can add pumpkin seeds or a cooked protein, such as pork or chicken. Add 1/2 a jalapeño, roughly chopped, for some kick. If you hate cilantro, try this salad with chopped mint instead, or just forget the herbs if you must.
Use a large bowl to toss the salad to ensure the leaves and everything else is properly coated in the dressing.
P.S. Have you tried super simple vegetarian chili or cucumber apricot salad?
Modern Notebook 
Looks refreshing!