I loved my husband’s version of Taco salad when we first got married. He made what was (in hindsight) likely the most unhealthy but tasty taco salad with Doritos, cheese and ground beef and a couple veggies tossed in for good measure then soaked in sugar-oil-vineger combination. Now that we have come to know nutrition and love our bodies and our veggies, taco salad just wasn’t the same…until now! Ok so its still not the same but my family (all 7 of us) agreed that this one is so much better! Even my rather picky autistic brother took a very large plate.
If you veggie prep every week, this salad takes no time at all and is massively delicious! Chopping does take up time so periodically my hubby and I choose a night where we turn on a favourite show and sit down at the table (we have a computer in our kitchen) with a stack of tupperware and veggies. It saves so much time through the week and I highly recommend it…no excuses then! While I am not a fan of processed foods and we eat very little of those types of foods, my family really enjoys taco chips from time to time and because of all the other nutrient dense foods in this recipes, I agreed that taco chips, despite their high fat content, would be ok but this recipe works perfectly fine without the chips as well.
Power Packed Taco Salad
Veggies:
1 cup chopped Romaine Lettuce
1 Cup Chopped Kale
1 Cup Cabbage (I use a coleslaw mix)
1 Cup Spinach chopped
1 Cup chopped each of broccoli, red pepper, corn, celery, avocado and shredded carrot
Black Bean Mix:
1 can black beans rinsed
1 onion chopped up
1 TSP each of smoked paprika, onion powder,black pepper, chili flakes (more if you like it spicy)
1 TBSP each of cumin, garlic powder, and nutritional yeast
Dressing:
1 cup of vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Other:
Taco Chips, favourite salsa, vegan sour cream (we use cultured coconut)
Combine all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside. In a non-stick frying pan, cook onions until translucent. While they are cooking, combine all the spices to make the taco seasoning in a bowl. Add the black beans and taco seasoning to the frying pan and cook until everything comes together. Set this aside. Add to a bowl all the chopped veggies, the black bean mixture and the dressing. Stir well. Add in taco chips if desired. Top with salsa and vegan sour cream if desired. Serves Approx. 4 people.
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