Easy Living, Easy Eating

As part of my making summer days less stressful, creating less heat in a no air conditioning home and still be within my attempts to better eating habits I have been creating a lot of meals that are salad based.   This recipe was passed around the office for several pot luck lunches and this is how it was given to me, no amounts or quantities, just the ingredients.  I was told the key to success in this salad was just add the ingredients in the order you see them listed.   I am not promoting or endorsing any specific products or a vegetarian way of eating.   I give you the very easy Taco Salad.

The original recipe:

Tomato

Green Onion

Cheese

Taco Sauce (Mild)

Italian Salad Dressing

Hamburg

Doritos (Nacho Cheese)

How I Make :   

I adjust the amounts depending on how many I am making this for, usually for 4 servings as the meal: 

Ingredients:

Lettuce –  ½ a head of iceberg and chop but I am sure you could rip or shred

Tomato –  2-3 plum or beef steak, which I chop into chunks

Sweet Onion –  ¼ cup  chopped finely

Cheese – marble, low fat and shredded, 200gm

Salsa – 1 jar extra chunky, mild, 650ml

Italian Salad Dressing, low fat – 3-4 tablespoons

Ground Soy – 1 pkg 340g*

Tostitos Scoops, 230g (whole wheat is also good) – ½ pkg, crushed into large chunky crumbles

Directions:

Cook the sweet onion in about 3 tablespoons of the Italian Salad Dressing,  on medium low, about 2-3 minutes, 

cooking the onions in the salad dressing

Add in the Salsa sauce and mix, then add the ground soy*  and another good measure of stirring thoroughly blending the four ingredients, turn off the heat.  Set aside.  

 *if using meat, you could cook the onions, salad dressing and meat all together.

onions and ground soy

onions, ground soy and salsa

We like lots of cheese

I then take the  chopped lettuce and layer in the bottom of the bowl, then add the chopped tomato, then a layer of the ground soy salsa mix, then the cheese and because the soy mixture is still slightly warm,  the cheese melts a bit, then I crush the nacho chips on top.  You can make this in one big bowl so that family and guests can take by the spoonful, but we like our own individual bowls. 

lettuce chopped

lettuce, then chopped tomatoes

the onion, soy and salsa layer

Two Bowls Of The finished product

  

When I eat mine, I like to blend the layers together before eating where as Mr Man prefers to eat his within the layering.  Either way, empty bowls at the end of the meal.

I think this is one recipe that will continue to evolve as everyone will make a little differently.  When Gael makes this recipe she uses the extra spicy salsa and uses an aged cheddar cheese and her family likes the the meat ingredient to be totally chilled. Kim makes this with ground turkey/chicken.  I have also made this without any ground soy or meat as a side salad dish. 

All Done & Quite Satisfied

I do hope you enjoy and I’d be interested to hear how you make this recipe your own.  Bon appetit.