Taco Salad
Introduction
This is Mama Miche and today in My Magic Kitchen: Taco Salad.
This is the next in our summer salad series, but this is a hit any time of the year.
If you have picky eaters, it can be such a pain in the ass to feed them and I almost became a short-order cook. I realized, right quick, that I was not up to cooking that many meals for a family of four. I wasn’t running a restaurant so I established the same rules I grew up with. My Momster would tell me to try it if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. That worked for me. I was an adventurous eater and developed a desire to try new things.
Do you think it worked on my tiddly peeps? Hell no! They wouldn’t even take a “no, thank you bite”, and I was discouraged. So, I always had 2 things I knew they would eat (carrot sticks, watermelon, rice, or pasta) and I knew they wouldn’t starve. Eventually, I wore them down. Now, they try new things. Our son turns 15 soon and like most boys his age, eats his weight in food. He is proud of the fact that he has helped his picky friends try new foods at our home. Now, one of his friends eats more than chicken nuggets, fries, and pizza. Tacos were one of the foods he tried at our home and liked. That and my butter chicken won him over. I’ll share that recipe soon! It’s a winner, too.
Another family favorite salad in our home is a taco salad. Since our seasoning has no sugar and the guacamole and dressing are also homemade, it’s a healthy and filling salad that hits all the notes I like a salad to hit! I love taco salads because (unpopular opinion) I’m not really a fan of the hard corn shells or bowls. I just want the greens and meat, jalapeños and cheese, please. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, cheese makes everything better. I like also to add black beans and pico de gallo, but we didn’t this time around. Some Mexican street corn is also a yummy addition.
My husband introduced me to the dressing recipe. He first fell in love with it over 30 years ago back in Memphis at a Mexican restaurant called Pancho’s. It was the dressing on the first taco salad he ever had and it’s been his favorite ever since. He found a copycat recipe on food.com and when he made it for us, he said it was just like he remembered.
The thing that’s great about salads as a meal in general, is that they can be customized without much effort. When we have tacos or taco salads, I set up a taco bar and everyone helps themselves.
It’s a fantastic way to make your kitchen magic!
Tools
Large skillet
Collander
Knife
Cutting Mat
Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cups & Spoons
Cheese Grater
Ingredients
Makes 4 large bowls
Salad
2 lbs Ground meat of choice
6 Tbsp YaYa Taco Seasoning™
1 1/2 Cup Water
2 Small heads of leafy lettuce, cut into ½ inch strips
1 Cup Cucumber, diced
1 Sweet Pepper, diced
2 Cups Tomatoes, diced
2 cups (or more) Shredded cheese
Optional
Black beans,
Corn,
Jalapeños,
Salsa,
Pico de gallo,
Tortilla chips or strips,
Cheese chips
Guacamole
2-3 Avocados
¼ Cup Onion, finely diced
⅛ Cup Tomato, finely diced tomato
3 Cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Tsp Lime juice
1 Tsp fresh Cilantro
Dash Salt
Dash Tajine
Dash Twice Stolen Spice™
Copycat Pancho’s Taco Salad Dressing*
½ Cup Prepared Mustard
½ Cup Sugar**
½ Cup Salad Oil
⅓ Cup White Vinegar
1 Tsp Oregano
4 Scallions, chopped
Directions
Prep Time 20 minutes. Cook time 10 minutes.
Prep Ground Beef
Brown ground meat and drain. Add 3 tbsp and ¾ cup of water per pound of ground beef used to the skillet. Mix well. Warm to a light simmer. Add ground beef back to the skillet and mix well until the liquid is partially absorbed.
Guacamole
Place avocado in a mixing bowl and mash to a creamy consistency. (I prefer some lumps) Add onion, tomato, garlic, and lime juice. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Add salt, Taijine, and Twice Stolen Spice™ to taste. Continue mixing until all ingredients are mixed well. Cover and refrigerate promptly until ready to use.
Salad Dressing
Place all ingredients in a blender (or use an immersion hand blender) and liquefy.
Enjoy.
Notes:
*Recipe sourced from food.com
