Taco Salad

My family has this recipe for Taco Salad that was a weeknight staple in our house. It is quick, cheap, and yummy! The step that takes the longest time is browning the hamburger meat. So, here it goes.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground round
• 3 small tomatoes
• 1 can dark red kidney beans
• 4 stalks green onion
• 1/2 small can of chopped black olives
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 bottles of Kraft Catalina dressing
• 1 head of green leaf lettuce
• 1 bag bite size Tostitos tortilla chips

*In my last post I told you that I omitted black olives because I don't care for them. I have tried to omit them in this recipe, but it changes it dramatically. The chopped olives in the can are small enough that you won't have overwhelming olive flavor, but I think that they are necessary for the dish.*

Brown the hamburger meat. Add salt and pepper to season the beef.

While the hamburger meat is browning, you can start washing and chopping vegetables.









Remember the technique I used for chopping onion? I thought it wouldn't work because the tomato is soft, but it does work! It saves a lot of time! See the post on making "Red Beans and Rice" if you missed it!

 






Drain the browned hamburger meat. I put them in a large strainer. You'll see why in the next few steps.

Pour the can of kidney beans onto the hamburger meat in the strainer. Then add half of the can of olives (You can add the whole can if you would like, but since I don't like olives very much I will just add 1/2 a can). I pour water over it now to rinse the fat from the meat and the extra sodium from the juices in the cans off of the beans and olives. Then top with the chopped tomatoes so that the liquid from them can drain away.


 

 Cut up lettuce and place in a large mixing bowl. Usually you don't want to use a knife to cut lettuce because it bruises, but taco salad is usually eaten so fast that it won't matter. I use a knife because it is saves a lot of time.

Top the lettuce with everything in the strainer and green onions. You will also need to add the cheese, but make sure that the meat has had time to cool to either room temperature or a little warmer. You do not want the cheese to melt.







Pour one of the bottles of Catalina dressing into the bowl.












                      Mix all together.

 
 When making individual servings, scoop the salad into bowls. Top with crushed tortilla chips. The tortilla chips are necessary because the salad is a little sweet from the dressing. The chips provide a nice balance.
The extra bottle of Catalina dressing is for people who want to add a little more to their serving.

Serve immediately.

 Nutrition Facts: Serving Size = 2 cups   Yields = 6 servings

532 Calories. 38g Carbs. 29g Fat. 31g Protein. 739mg Sodium 

Easy: 5 out of 5
Delicious: 5 out of  5
Cheap: 5 out of  5
Leftover Quality: 3 out of 5 (The salad can be refrigerated. It will not look very good after being cooled, but it still tastes good. The lettuce just looks a little wilted because it is covered in dressing.)

Taco Pizza

I did not want to wake up this morning! The house was so very cold and my bed was warm and cozy. On my way to work, I snoozed in the passenger seat as my sweet boyfriend drove us to work. On my way into work, all I could think about was getting to bed earlier tonight. I'm only going to be able to do that with a quick and easy dinner. Normally I would cave in and grab something from a fast food joint on the way home, but let's try to make something instead. Have you ever heard that you can only pick two between fast, cheap, or good? Well, this recipe is not the case. It has all three qualities. Seriously, it is super fast, yummy, and fairly cheap. I found it on the Pillsbury website.

Here's what you need:

• 1 lb ground chuck
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 can (13.8 oz.) Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust
• 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 large tomato
• 3 stalks green onion
• lettuce
• picante sauce
• black olives (if desired)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 






Unroll pizza dough on an ungreased baking sheet. Let it sit out until it reaches room temperature.

Brown ground chuck. Drain. Add taco seasoning as instructed on the packet.







Starting from the middle, press pizza dough on the baking sheet until it covers the bottom of the pan and the sides. Bake the crust for about 8 minutes or until it is a light brown.

Chop the green onions and tomatoes.

Spread the refried beans onto the cooked pizza crust.

Cover the beans evenly with the seasoned beef.

Top with shredded cheese.

Add chopped green onions, tomatoes, and black olives. I opted out of the black olives because I'm not a fan.

Place pizza back in oven and cook for another 5-7 minutes. You want the cheese to melt, and the crust to be a golden brown.

Top with lettuce and picante sauce if desired.








ENJOY!!!!

Nutrition Facts: Serving Size = 2 slices   Yields = 6 servings

(I cut the pizza in 4 rows and 3 columns)

575 Calories. 49g Carbs. 29g Fat. 29g Protein. 1547mg Sodium - Yikes!

Although these numbers are high, they are better than fast food. I will try to add something healthier tomorrow!

Easy: 5 out of 5
Delicious: 5 out of  5
Cheap: 4 out of  5
Leftover Quality: 5 out of 5 (I was skeptical, but it was still delicious. Don't add the lettuce and salsa until ready to serve.)