Great Summer Recipe: Taco Salad

Both my husband and I have worked in Tex-Mex restaurants and we've seen our fair share of taco salads over the years!

My favorite way to present it is in a deep fried corn tortilla bowl, but if you're making this salad at home, this might not be a practical choice. If you aren't planning on deep frying the bowl, I'd suggest simply serving the salad with taco chips. The crunch will still be there and if you circle the salad with the chips, the presentation is nice as well.

Basically, the salad consists of a vinaigrette, the ground beef mixture and the salad "fixin's".

Here are our favorites in each category...
for the dressing:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley if you prefer)
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon chili powder or Tex Mex seasoning
1 teaspoon ground cumin
few splashes Franks Red Hot (or your favorite hot sauce)
salt and pepper to taste
about 2/3 cup olive oil

In a tall container, combine the lime juice, cilantro, honey, chili powder and cumin. Add Franks, salt and pepper according to your taste. Add most of the olive oil and blend with a hand blender until combined. Taste and add the rest of the oil if needed. Set aside.

Beef mixture:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
1 teaspoon Franks Red Hot (or to taste)
1 tablespoon chili powder (or Tex Mex seasoning)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
small can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet add the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic about 4 minutes. Add ground beef and break apart. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add the seasonings and stir an additional minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and taste for seasoning. Allow tomatoes to reduce a bit and simmer about 15 minutes.

For the salad:
1 avocado, sliced
1 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
2 roma tomatoes seeded and diced
1 cup old cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained

Add the romaine to the taco bowl (or plate). Top with the ground beef mixture and then add the avocado, tomatoes, cheese, black beans and corn.

(We sometimes add the corn and beans to the beef mixture, but this is less traditional.)