Mexican Layered Salad

This is a great make-ahead salad, a twist on the old classic seven layer salad.  It's simply a fiesta of flavors and makes a beautiful presentation in a glass bowl.  It can be the salad course at your dinner party or a great pot luck dish.  You can even make this as an entree course if you add a layer of grilled chicken or a taco salad by adding layer of ground beef (well browned with taco seasoning).   I've made many versions of this salad, sometimes adding onions, avocados, or chopped green chilis.  It's fun to experiment.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups torn romaine (the smaller the pieces, the better)
• 1 large cucumber, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 large green or red pepper, chopped
• 1 can black beans, washed & drained
• 1 cup corn (frozen is fine)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 cup light sour cream
• ¾ cup salsa
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips
• 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blended cheese
• sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:

• In a 2-qt. trifle bowl or glass serving bowl, layer the first six ingredients.
• Sprinkle with salt & pepper
• Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, and salsa and spread over the top.
• Just before serving, sprinkle with  black olives, chips and cheese.
• Cover all day and serve; be sure to use a large serving spoon to get all the yummy layers!
• Yield: 10 servings.