Tasty Treat Tuesday: Taco Salads
Sometimes, I just crave taco salads. I swear it’s a condition of living and growing up in California. I have to have some bastardized form of Mexican food at least once a week. Taco salads are great because they fulfill the need to have a minute amount of vegetables so one doesn’t feel guilty about piling on the sour cream, salsa and cheese.
Here’s a semi-quick version of taco salad:
Jenny’s Cravetastic Taco Salad**:
Ingredients:
1/2 small head of iceberge lettuce, shredded finely
(optional) 1/2 head of romaine, shredded finely (this is for extra nutrients and color)
3 green onions, chopped into 1/4 inch thick slices
(optional) sliced olives
Jar or container of salsa (I prefer pico de gallo in a plastic container, available near the deli section of the grocery store)
1 cup of cooked ground beef or turkey, cooked with seasonings that you like (I use cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper)
1 cup of shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend)
1 cup of refried beans
1 1/2 cups of tortilla chips
Choose a large plate or shallow bowl for assembling this salad. Place the refried beans at the bottom then top with (in the following order): salsa, lettuce, ground beef or turkey, cheese, green onions and olives. Decorate the outside of the salad with the tortilla chips. Finally, top the salad with sour cream. This creates a nice makeshift nacho/salad dish because you can scoop up the salad ingredients with the chips.
Enjoy with an ice-cold beer, lemonade or margarita!
**for more on the cheesiness of the word “craveable,” catch the third episode of Top Chef entitled “Food For the People.” Personally, although I loathe this word, I think it accurately captures that dish that just settles into your mind and stomach and especially a dish that you, well, CRAVE without reservation.
January 9th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
MMMM………Sounds yummy! Anything with tacos is a hit! I use to make turkey tacos with ground tukey beef and even that was good:D I will try this out:D Watch out…