This is not a recipe.
It takes five minutes to prepare and doesn’t need to be cooked, so it doesn’t count as a recipe, right?
This is my favorite thing to eat, probably because it takes five minutes to prepare and doesn’t need to be cooked. Ooh, and possibly also because it’s an everyday alternative to the nachos I would love to be eating if I could handle that big plate of chips with loads of greasy cheese and sour cream on a daily basis.
Here’s what goes into my favorite non-recipe:
Start with a handful of tortilla chips. This is a great way to use up the little bits that no one wants to make nachos with.
Cover with about 1/4 cup of black beans or vegetarian refried beans.
Add a sprinkle of cheese. We’re not talking about loading it here, think of the cheese as a condiment. Use Monterey Jack or whatever you like best. You can microwave at this point if you want, but you don’t have to. (See how that works? No cooking unless you want to!)
Next you want a HUGE handful (or two, or three) of greens. I use the mixed greens with baby spinach included. This is what the word “salad” is referring to, so be generous with the greens!
Follow that with salsa. Again, be generous! This is tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, chilies…more veggies! Didn’t your mom tell you to eat your vegetables??
Next I slice on a couple of black olives because YUM. And also, they’re a good source of monounsaturated fat as well as vitamin E (who knew?).
Finish up with a dollop of low fat or fat free plain yogurt. Stir it all around and enjoy.
Optional: guacamole is awesome with this. I also like adding quinoa with spices.
What do you like eating in your taco salad?
Cilantro, baby! And I’m with you all the way on the olives. And the quinoa.
Oh, yes! Cilantro is a must! Thanks, Michelle. :0)
We eat taco salad at our house nearly every week! It’s slowly getting more healthy as we’ve subbed yogurt for sour cream, and emphasize the greens like you do. We still prefer to use taco meat in ours though. Just started making quinoa this week – we’ve eaten it in everything but taco salad, so I’ll have to try that next!
Amy, I think my son would prefer the meat, but both of my kids love quinoa, too. They’re much better about eating it when it has lots of spices in it, so I think taco filling is a perfect recipe for it!