Not Your Mama’s Taco Salad

(This post was modified on March 30, 2014.)

How many of you grew up eating your mom’s Taco Salad made with….

1. Ground Beef Taco Meat

2. Shredded Cheddar

3. Crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos

4. Catalina Dressing

5. Kidney Beans

6. Ice Berg Lettuce

Lots of you, right?

It was always one of my favorite dinners! And….it was healthy, because it was a salad!!

I honestly still love a taco salad topped with Nacho Cheese Doritos and Catalina Dressing. I’m not gonna lie. I did learn to eventually start making it with lean ground turkey, the “100 Calorie” pack Nacho Cheese Doritos and Fat Free Catalina Dressing. Still absolutely delicious!

However, in my quest for trying to eat “cleaner”, here is the list of ingredients for….

Not Your Mama’s Taco Salad

Ingredients

1 lb of cooked Chicken Breast OR….1 lb of Ground Turkey or Ground Chicken

Homemade Taco Seasoning or 1 packet of Store Bought Taco Seasoning

Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, or Mixed Greens. You pick your favorite!

Canned Black Beans, drained and rinsed

Largely Chopped Cucumbers

Largely Chopped Bell Peppers

Largely Chopped Tomatoes

Largely Chopped Avocados

Shredded Carrots

Salsa

Sour Cream. Or, if you’re brave and you like it…..Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt!

Your PPV for this salad will obviously depend on how many ounces of chicken you eat, and what toppings you decide to use. I highly recommend a scale in your kitchen. I use mine everyday. I estimated on a lot of foods for a long time, but if you are questioning your portion sizes, it’s a great kitchen tool to have!

(Would you believe, I really enjoy this salad without cheese or chips? If I decide to add cheese, I go for the full fat cheddar, but I use it sparingly. If I decide to add crushed chips, I crush a few baked tortilla chips and enjoy!)

Directions

There is really no science to this dish. Cook your chicken, shred it, chop it, however you like it best in a Taco Salad, (or your meat of choice) then season it with the taco seasoning. Add a little water and let it simmer for a bit.

When you’re ready to assemble, fill a nice big bowl with your lettuce choice, top it with the seasoned taco meat, throw in some yummy black beans, then just go bat shit crazy topping it with all of those fresh, yummy, largely chopped up veggies. Top it off with your favorite salsa! I typically love a chopped salad with everything chopped up all tiny. But I like to eat this salad with all of the ingredients in big chunks, except those carrots. I love shredded carrots in a salad. I think it’s the crunch! I can’t explain it. Just try it! The taco seasoned chicken and the fresh avocado are probably my favorite parts of this salad! I don’t think you will be disappointed leaving out some of the traditional ingredients, and then you’ll realize, you might just be able to eat your Taco Salad like this EVERY time! Unless of course, you’re at your mother’s.