Taco Salad
Sinco de mayo is always a great celebration and offers such a variety of food. It seems like everyone has a particular recipe that they have made their own and it is always a great time to have a pot luck. One of my favorites is a taco salad. it is simple and crisp, something my family loves. My sister serves it with the meat cold, but I prefer it to be warm. I use to buy the packaged taco seasoning, but now I have learned to make my own seasoning, in order for it to be gluten free. It has a bit of a bite to it, but you can easily modify it. It is always fun to set it up as a salad bar, where everyone can select their own toppings.
**Note: I purchased taco shell pans to bake the shells, which are available at most kitchen stores.
INGREDIENTS: Makes 4 salads
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 4 corn tortillas (the largest ones you can find)
- 1 cup sliced black olives
- 3/4 – 1 cup chopped purple onion
- 1 cup mexican blend cheese
- 2 cups romaine lettuce
- 1/4 to 1/2 of an avacado
- cilantro to garnish
- 2 chopped tomatoes
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SEASONING:
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
PREPARATION:
Place a corn tortilla into the bottom of a taco pan and gently tuck it into the curves of the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes, until the tortilla hardens and forms a shell. Pull out of the oven and once it cools, remove it from the shell and place it on a dish.
In a sauce pan brown the hamburger, breaking it down so it is in small pieces. Drain any excess fat.
In a small bowl combine all of the dried spices for the seasoning and stir with a fork to ensure it is blended. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tbs of seasoning over the meat and add 1/4 cup of water, stir and simmer.
Place one cup of the meat mixture into a taco shell. Layer with mexican cheese, fresh chopped lettuce, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes and sliced avocado. Top with sliced sour cream, black olives and garnish with cilantro. If desired, serve with salsa on the side.
Enjoy!
