Taco Time! Taco Salad Recipe + Meatless How-To

Honest mama and foodie Juli Novotny is back this week to share her totally awesome taco salad! It's meat free and full of veggies. This is one the whole family will love. 

When I was little my mom used to make this FABULOUS taco salad. It was soooo good. But sadly, I don't think I have had it since I was a little kid — and that was a really long time ago. I'm not really sure why I haven't had it except that it was made with Doritos (not the healthiest salad ingredient), iceberg lettuce, and ground beef (darn it, I don't eat beef). So I had this wonderful idea: let's give the old recipe a veggie makeover!

It's not only a great recipe to try on Meatless Monday but could also be a lighter version of Taco Tuesday? Or hey, it could just be dinner any night of the week! Either way, it's a fun and healthy addition to your recipe box.

This might look like a complicated salad, but it's really not at all. Just read through the recipe first and you’ll see that only the "meat" takes a bit of time to learn to make. Other than that, it's all just dumping fresh ingredients into a bowl and mixing. The dressing is super simple as well. You can also choose to use bottled vinaigrette dressing if you'd prefer or are in a hurry.

Taco Salad

serves 2 entrees or 3-4 side salads

4 oz mixed greens

1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican blend

1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

1 avocado, sliced

1-2 scallion, sliced thinly

Handful cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped

Organic cheddar cheese rice or corn chips, smashed

Faux ground beef using walnuts or tempeh

2 tsp taco seasoning

Tempeh “Meat”

1 package of tempeh, chopped into small pieces

1/4 cup soy sauce / tamari (gluten free)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

In a saucepan add the above ingredients and cook on medium until tempeh is golden brown and liquid is dried up (pan should turn golden brown). This takes about 15 minutes total. Use a spatula and scrape pan and tempeh every 5 minutes. You don't want to scrape pan too often because you want the bottom of the tempeh to brown on the pan. Don't let it burn (obviously) which means you might need to adjust temp or time accordingly. All stove tops are different.

 Taco Salad Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp wine vinegar

1/2 lime, squeezed {just the juice}

1 tsp agave nectar {optional}

1 tsp taco seasoning

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

In a glass measuring cup add the above ingredients and stir with a fork until thick and well blended.

Taco Salad

Put all the salad ingredients, including "meat" of choice, in a large salad bowl. Add dressing and toss well.

Enjoy! And feel good about your dinner; it's healthy. YAY!

~ Juli Novotny of Pure Mamas