let’s TACO ‘bout it!
I know it ain’t Tuesday & LeBron might have some things to say….but, I grew up eating Taco Salad in the 90s and that shit was fire. So, I kind of feel like the unnamed leader for this unsung hero – get ready for a culinary experience thru the ages! I’m excited to share with y’all a certified banger — and this entry is a TWO-FER! A favorite that Chris & I enjoy on the regular – its perfect for summer, everything can be made ahead of time & every.single.topping is customizable!
I don’t know about y’all but in my opinion, Taco Salad seems to have had the ultimate glow-up & evolved over the years. I’m here for it & I’m excited about all the variations that exist for Taco Salad. It is a gem & deserves to be showcased.
funny how food can come & go out of style
When I was younger, my mom was obsessed with Fritos Scoops! Corn Chips. Remember those? They are thick, super crunchy, salty & perfect. They were the base of her taco salads back then. Fast Forward 25 years later (shit) and I, too, am obsessed with them, but I only like them with creamy guacamole or avocado crema rather than on / in my salad.
Judy always made her taco salad with handfuls of crushed up Fritos – it gave it the perfect, extra crunch with the ground beef, onions, bell peppers, corn, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Basically, taco salads were kitchen sinks / leftovers galore for our salads. We would top it with shredded cheddar, sour cream & salsa – the dream.
Now as an adult, I prefer my taco salad to have a base of cold, crunchy romaine & chips on the side with a variety of dips. Like, I’m talking serious : gimmie ALL the dips.
what dips would you choose?
Avocado Crema or Guac is the first & ultimate must – choose wisely my friends. Cheese dip is also a must – also choose wisely & for the love of God, please don’t buy that yellow jarred shit. Go for the gold & get the refrigerated queso, I promise it makes a difference. Homemade salsa is a must. I have absolutely no problems with Pace or Chi-Chi’s brand salsa, I just prefer homemade because I’m lucky enough to know people who make the best salsa ever. Hell, we just have a trio of delectable dips to go alongside our taco salads and we like it like that.
Avocado Crema feels like such a fancy dip – its literally just a super-smooth guacamole without all the STUFF. I enjoy making avocado crema because it truly allows you to taste and enjoy the purity of the avocado. I love it as a schmear on sandwiches as well! The taste is so bright & punchy with the raw garlic & fresh lime juice – you’ll want to put a dollop of that shit on everything!
Ingredients, for taco salad
· 2 heads Romaine – cleaned, chopped & spun dry
· 1 LB ground turkey, cooked
· 1 small Vidalia onion, diced fine
· ¼ cup taco seasoning – follow the package directions
· ½ TSP garlic powder
· 1 can unseasoned black beans, rinsed
· 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
· Baby tomatoes
· Plain Greek Yogurt / Sour Cream
· Salsa
· ***any other toppings you’d like! – pickled onions, sliced jalapenos, roasted corn – go crazy! ***
Ingredients, avocado crema
· 2 large ripe avocados
· ¾ cup Plain Greek Yogurt
· 2 garlic cloves
· Juice of 1 lime
· Zest of ½ lime
· S+P, to taste
· ¼ TSP ground cumin
· ¼ TSP granulated garlic
· ¼ TSP cayenne (may omit all together – or if you like more heat, add more!)
Instructions, for taco salad
Clean & cut the ends off the romaine bunches – Chop into bite-size pieces – I use a salad spinner to get the romaine dried out and it works great!
Plate your freshly cut romaine & set aside to keep cool in the fridge.
Dice the Vidalia onion & add to a saute pan on medium-high heat. Allow to cook down for a few minutes until the onion is soft.
Add in the ground Turkey and cook thoroughly with the onions.
Stir in the taco seasoning & granulated garlic – add a few TBS of water to help keep everything moist.
Dump in the can of black beans, rinsed thoroughly.
Allow the black beans to cook for a few moments to get soft & mingle with the ground turkey and onion mixture.
Lastly, stir in ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese and allow to melt fully.
I enjoy cooking together the black beans, ground turkey and cheese because it gives the ground turkey the extra OOMPH it needs for this taco salad to be extra tasty!
Remove from the heat & allow your taco salad mixture to cool before topping your salads – nobody likes a wilted salad! You can whip up the avocado crema below while you let the mixture cool off for a bit – takes less than 5 minutes!
We like to keep our taco salad toppings simple – hence why I like to put the extra STUFF in my ground turkey mixture *wink*
The basics are obvious – moar cheese! Sliced grape tomatoes & a dollop of Plain Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream get the job done! We’ve also been known to sauté sliced onions & bell peppers separately and make this a Fajita Taco Salad!
Instructions, for avocado crema
Ok, not trying to make you purchase extra kitchen gadgets -- but a food chopper will change your life. Its so quick & easy and be used for SO MANY of (my) recipes *tee hee*
Does everyone know how to check for a ripe avocado? I sincerely hope I hear a chorus of “yes” across the distance…..If you don’t know how, then you’re fucking welcome because I’ll take some extra time & let you in on a secret.
TRUE that the avocado skin is usually a darker shade of green when they are ripe.
TRUE that the avocado should have a slight “give” to it when you gently push on it – but it should not feel mushy or overly soft.
TRUEST – if you remove the belly button (idk what its scientifically called) at the top of the avocado and the little hole is slightly green but not overly brown, then you know you’ve got a winner along with the other 2 tips listed above. YA WELCOME.
ANYWAY.
Carefully cut open your 2 avocados & remove the pits.
Scoop out your avocados (no need to slice them!) directly into the food chopper.
Smash & peel the 2 cloves of garlic & add them in with the avocado.
Spoon in the Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream – I will say Greek Yogurt gives an extra *zing* to the crema, just something to think about!
Zest & Squeeze in the lime juice alllllll over the avocado to keep its bright green color!
Sprinkle in the spices.
Give it a whirl! I use the Puree setting on my chopper and it gets everything niiiiiiice & smoooooth – perfect for a delicate & delicious crema!
Scrape the sides a few times if you wish to ensure everything is well pureed.
Serve immediately with your favorite chips & be sure to save a dollop for your taco salad! YUM!
the ultimate culinary experience
Taco Salad is more than a crowd pleaser. Its literally an EVERYONE pleaser. I say it with such certainty & love in my heart. I know I don’t have children, but I think everyone knows that kids are kids. Which means every single kid wants different things, has different tastes & may be a little hellion when it comes to dinner time. Who knows? Getting a green base of salad, adding all sorts of fun toppings & cleaning out your fridge all in one fell swoop – you literally can’t go wrong.
Summer is the best time to make taco salad because there are SO many yummy veggies out there to top your salads with! Leftover corn on the cob? – hell yes! Green Onions? – pile ‘em on! Nacho Cheese Doritos are also a welcome reprieve if you (or your kids) don’t enjoy Fritos Scoops! or if you are bargaining with your child to eat dinner, let them crush up Doritos to put on their salad – its all a win-win situation. What other ways or ingredients can you jazz up your idea of Taco Salad??
Feel free to send me an email :) I’ve been hearing from a few of you & it tickles me pink! Thank you for reaching out with comments, stories, partnerships & praise! Happy Friday & lets TACO ‘bout it! ;) I had to end this with something CHEESY. Ok, I’m out.
Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate you stopping by! If you loved it, I’d love to hear from you.
If you hated it, then same.
Have a great day & look for my next entry!
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