Taco Salad w/ Spicy Cilantro Lime Dressing
/I crave a really flavorful, filling, and colorful salad in the summer. Anyone else?! I could live off of salads, fresh fruit, green smoothies, homemade coconut yogurt, and soup (weird, I know) in the summertime. My body definitely creates less heavy comfort foods and lots more foods that are hydrating and lighter in the summer months.
I wanted to make a simple salad, but kick it up a notch with lots of flavor and a good quality protein. I decided to make a taco salad because who doesn’t love a good taco salad and there are so many great ingredients you can add to it! This is a dairy-free, corn-free, and naturally gluten-free version that is full of greens, high quality protein, healthy fats, and tons of flavor! I hope you enjoy as much as I do. xo
INGREDIENTS
Salad:
6 cups romaine, chopped or thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 avocado thinly sliced
1/2 jalapeño, sliced
Seasoned Taco Meat:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
Dressing:
2 cups cilantro
1 lime, juice
1/2 jalapeño
4 garlic cloves
2 tbsp avocado or olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
METHOD
Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat. Cook 1/2 pound of ground beef until its well cooked through. Drain the fat out and place back in pan. Add in all the seasonings for the taco meat along with 1/4 cup water. Mix well until thoroughly covered and combined. Turn off heat and set aside.
In a blender add in all the ingredients for the dressing and blend until smooth. It’s okay if you have pieces of cilantro that aren’t completely blended. It’s meant to be a “chunkier” dressing.
Assemble all your salad ingredients, add the seasoned taco meat on top and finish with the dressing.
Enjoy! xo
With love,
Ashley
