Taco Salad

I had the idea for this taco salad recipe after I did my post on using strained yogurt in place of sour cream. I have made this taco salad a couple of times. I have had to restrain myself from making it too often so my family doesn't tire of it. I could eat this every day and never get bored. I will warn you that this salad is hard to leave alone. It is healthy, but I have to remind myself of portion control when eating this meal. If you like taco salad, you will love this healthier version and feel good about serving it to your family.

When I make tacos my boys would prefer to leave off the lettuce. I make them add a little lettuce, but mainly they are eating taco meat, cheese, a tortilla and, of course, a big dollop of sour cream on top. Taco salad is a wonderful way to get my family to eat more vegetables with the same great taco flavors. To make this healthier than your average taco salad I made my own flavorful, nutritious dressing. I also reduce the amount of hamburger by adding in a few beans. My family has noticed the beans, but they haven't complained. The beans are flavored with the meat and have all of the great taco flavors, making them acceptable to my family. Those small victories are so encouraging to me.

Recipe

2/3 lb lean hamburger (2-hamburger patties)

1/2 c prepared pinto beans*

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 T chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp oregano

+/- 2 T water

large bowl of washed and torn lettuce about 10 cups (I used both spinach and romaine)

+/- 1/2 cup green onion, chopped

2 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 small avocado, smashed**

1/2 c salsa (I used pace picante, medium heat)

1/2 c strained nonfat plain yogurt (not Greek yogurt)***

2 oz. tortilla chips (about 18 chips), broken into bite-sized pieces

Instructions

In a skillet brown hamburger, pinto beans and garlic. When the meat is cooked through, add spices and enough water to make it come together in a sauce. Stir to combine and remove from heat. Allow to cool.

In a large serving bowl combine lettuce, green onion, tomato, and cheese. Toss with cooled meat. In a separate bowl smash the avocado with a fork and stir in the salsa and yogurt to make a dressing. Shortly before serving add this dressing to the salad along with the broken tortilla chips.

Additional Notes
*I never soak my beans overnight now that I know I don't have to. I just cook them in the crockpot on high and they always turn out perfectly. Learn more about preparing beans in the crockpot.
**I add the avocado mainly for the health benefit. If you don't have an avocado, you can leave it out and it shouldn't effect the flavor of the salad.
***I strongly prefer the stained nonfat yogurt over Greek yogurt. I have only tried making a salsa and yogurt mixture with only one brand of Greek yogurt (Kroger brand), but it had too much of a strong sweet flavor that didn't match with the salsa. I have used three different brands of plain yogurt for straining and they have all tasted wonderful.

Calories: 316 calories per serving (This recipe makes 6 servings)
If you divide the recipe into 4 generous servings is would be 474 calories per serving.