Just Another Meatless Monday #15

What is it about Taco Salad? I love the stuff, we all do, in fact as much as I can make they eat.

Is it the slightly crushed chips chewy and crunchy?

Hot topping meets cold salad?

Kinda melty cheese?

Or maybe just all of the above. I used to make taco salad only for potlucks and parties but last summer I decided to whip one up for dinner, it was an instant hit. I think the way I presented it help a lot. I made the salad and had it ready to go. In fact everything else was at the ready too. I called the kids and as they sat down I crushed huge handfuls of tortilla chips into the salad. I tossed in the cheese and hot ground beef and beans. I stirred it together and ceremoniously tasted it. I declared it short on chips and added two more crushed handfuls. My kids were kind of astonished and before they could whine 'oh salad' I served them big bowls of hot and cold salad full of cheese and chips. Score one for mom.

We ate it weekly last summer until we ran out of lettuce in the heat of August. I quit making it then and hadn't made one until yesterday. Again an instant hit and they almost licked the bowl clean. Almost, I did have one hardly worth saving bowl left but it was good even a day later. And I ate when no one was looking so I didn't have to share. Yeah. I'm like that sometimes with chocolate too.

Vegetarian Taco Salad

3 cups cooked red beans or kidney beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp mexican oregano
1/4 cup water
1 head romaine or iceberg lettuce-use other greens if you have them too
4 ripe tomatoes chopped
1 small onion minced
1/2 a green pepper, chopped
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar*sub in vegan cheese if desired
3-4 handfuls of tortilla chips


in a sauce pan bring beans, spices and water to a simmer
simmer 15 minutes adding more water if needed, if you cooked your beans from dry save the bean water and use that
meanwhile wash and dry lettuce, a salad spinner is a great invention
tear lettuce in to bite sized pieces
put the lettuce in big salad bowl
add the tomatoes, onion and pepper, set aside
when the beans are done drain of any extra liquid
crush some chips right on the salad
toss on the beans and cheese
stir the salad and add more chips as needed

This is definitely a make ahead salad that can wait in the fridge until dinner time too, making this a quick meal for busy summer nights. Cool, refreshing, quick, easy, delicious. Ok I know it's a lot of adjectives to string together but they work.

What have you been rediscovering this week? Or inventing? Or enjoying? Do tell!



Peace and Love-