Taco Salad

Transitioning from a career gal who “makes” Kashi cereal or yogurt for dinner to a mom who has to put a real meal on the table was rough for me. My dinner used to fall in one of three categories: the aforementioned “husband’s working late, so I’ll just eat girl food”; eating out, which equaled eating very well in those heady days of two paychecks; and cooking at home, which also meant eating well since I’m a foodie married to a chef.

These days there’s no time (or money) for ingredients spelled with accent marks. It’s just not practical to cook the way I used to, running from one high-end grocery to another looking for lemongrass. Now it’s about quicker and cheaper while still being relatively healthy, blah, blah, like we’re all doing. 

However, I just can’t stand the thought of making housewife food seven days a week, so I try to “glam up” some American dinnertime classics when I can. 

My foodie training serves me well when it comes to cooking from scratch. With a little know-how and the right spices in the pantry, you can avoid those envelopes of MSG-filled taco seasoning. Replace the iceberg lettuce, add some other healthy veggies and you’ve got a meal that appeals to your inner gourmand.

Taco Salad 
Serves four, or two adults with leftovers for lunch 

1 to 1 1/4 lb. ground beef
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
splash of olive oil
1 heaping T ground cumin
1 heaping T chili powder
salt, pepper
can of black beans (optional)

head of romaine lettuce, washed and spun dry then torn or chopped
washed and dried spinach
tomatoes (whatever’s best given the season – if whole tomatoes, dice them. If cherry tomatoes, cut in half)
shredded cheddar
salsa
jalapenos (I use fresh when I get them at the farmers’ market; otherwise, canned)
sour cream
guacamole and/or sliced avocado
tortilla chips

In a large frying pan, heat a glug of olive oil and then add the onion to the pan. Saute until onion is very soft. Add ground beef and cook until almost all pink color is gone. Drain fat, carefully. Add cumin, chili powder, salt and freshly ground pepper. If you’re unsure of the heat, add the chili powder a little at a time, tasting along the way. (My 3-year-old will eat this as made, but you know your family best.) Add a scant 1/4 cup water to the pan, stir and lower the heat. Let simmer until flavors have blended and you have the slightest bit of a thickened “sauce” with the meat.

If you use the black beans, drain and rinse the beans and add them after the spices.

Here’s how we do it at our house: Take a large handful of tortilla chips and crush them in your hands. Scatter on your plate. Top with some seasoned ground beef, then cheese, lots and lots of lettuce and spinach, tomatoes, salsa, and twin dollops of sour cream and guacamole. Tink gets a handful of uncrushed chips, which she uses to scoop up some ground beef and beans and guacamole, and she eats tomatoes, too.

The real key to this meal – other than the “gourmet” taco meat – is the quality of ingredients. I don’t like jarred salsa, so I buy the pico de gallo made in-house at Whole Foods. I don’t know if the pico is particular to my store or if it’s the same everywhere, but it’s really, really good. And fresh. We like their guacamole, too. Buy less-salt tortilla chips, or, even healthier, go without. But that’s no fun.

Why yes, that is quite a heaping scoop of sour cream on my salad above. It invites you and your raised eyebrow to suck it. 

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Tagged as: dinner, Mexican, recipe, salad