Southwestern Taco Salad

I found this recipe online and tweaked it to suit myself and turn it into a taco salad. Here's the original recipe. Below, I'll tell you the changes I made.

Salad:

• Romaine lettuce
• Handful of grape tomatoes
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2 small baby bell peppers – red, yellow or orange, diced
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/2 cup sweet frozen corn, thawed
• 1 tbsp raw or toasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 avocado, diced
• 2 tbsp cotija cheese
• 1 handful of tortilla strips for salads
• Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below) to taste

In a large salad bowl add chopped lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, avocado, bell peppers, black beans, corn, tortilla strips, pumpkin seeds and cotija cheese. Top the salad with the vinaigrette to taste and serve. Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar OR red wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp oregano

Use am immersion blender or a regular blender to blend the dressing. Let the flavors mingle for at least 30 minutes before using.

I omit the pumpkin seeds and the cotija (substituting jack or cheddar or something). This makes a great salad that can stand alone but I like to turn it into a taco salad for a complete meal. Chips on the bottom of your plate, then taco meat (or my black bean/quinoa taco filling, recipe below) and this salad on top.

Vegetarian Taco Filling

1 med onion
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 can black beans, drained

1 can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
dash pepper

Dice onion and saute in oil in saucepan. Add cup quinoa and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer 15 minutes. Add beans and tomatoes. Stir. Add spices. Add water if too thick.