It wasn't too long ago that healthy meals weren't easy to come by when visiting the local restaurant; typical menu choices were mostly deep fried foods and large portions of meat with mounds of accompanying mashed potatoes smothered in thick country gravy.
If you did want a salad, it was most often covered in heavy, fat laden dressings.
Nowadays, the trend has reversed.
More and more restaurants are showcasing healthy meals and putting the heart attack foods in the back pages of their menu.
Thankfully, we can still cook at home and eat whatever type of food we feel like eating at any particular moment.
This salad is for those more concerned about taste than calorie count.
Wash and rinse a large head of iceberg lettuce, and then tear it into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
You'll need 8 ounces of ham and 8 ounces of chicken for this salad.
Cook them in any manner you choose so long as it's not deep fried.
Cut them both into julienne strips (very long, thin strips).
Layer these on top of your iceberg lettuce.
Now wash and rinse 2 large tomatoes, 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery, 2 green onions, and 3 medium Serrano peppers.
Cut the tomatoes in half, drain their juice, and then chop into small squares.
Shred the carrot and chop the celery.
Slice the green onion until you have about a 1/4 cup worth.
Remove the stems of the Serrano peppers and dice them (be careful not to rub your eyes after cutting up the Serrano peppers, they're hot!).
If Serrano peppers are too hot for your taste, use Jalapeno peppers instead.
Dump your veggies on top of the ham and chicken.
Toss everything several times.
The next part requires 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
I suggest you buy a higher quality cheese if you can afford it (and that doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune either).
Tillamook is a great brand that's only a few bucks more than the average block of cheddar cheese.
I prefer their medium cheddar, but it's up to you which type you buy.
Shred enough cheddar cheese for 2 cups.
Heat 1 cup of whole milk in a large saucepan.
Slowly stir in the shredded cheddar, and keep stirring until the cheese is melted and the texture is smooth.
The last step is to pour the cheese sauce on top of the salad.
Toss a couple of times and then garnish with fresh tortilla chips.
The listed ingredients are enough to serve 6 people.
Meat 8 ounces of cooked chicken, chopped 8 ounces of cooked ham, chopped Vegetables 1 medium head of iceberg lettuce, rinsed and torn into small pieces 1 shredded carrot 1 stalk of celery, chopped 2 large tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup of chopped green onion 3 medium Serrano peppers, chopped Garnish 2 cups of tortilla chips