Taco Salad Adventure

Hello Again My Friends :)

Can I just say how pleased I am that there are 12 people reading my blog? I know that in the grand scheme of things that's not very many, as there are some blogs with hundreds of followers, but since I was worried that no one would be reading it, and I'm just starting out, 12 is a BIG number, so thank you all! Today's post is about some kitchen improvisation on my part. As those of you who know me personally can attest, playing around in the kitchen and experimenting with different ingredients is one of my absolute favorite things to do. As a matter of fact, the other possible name for this blog was going to be "Kitchimprov"...but in the end I went with the current title, and I'm very happy with it :)

On the way home from the library today, I was suddenly in the mood for Mexican food, like ya do. In an effort not to totally blow all my Weight Watchers Points, I decided that instead of going out for Mexican, I would peruse what I had at home and see if anything there would satisfy my craving. On a related note, if anyone knows of a good Mexican or Tex-Mex restaurant in the greater Rochester area, toss it my way.

And so, the cupboard/fridge search began, much as it did last week when I made the soup that appeared in my first blog post. Below is the impromptu taco salad that resulted. I've given some loose measurements here, but really this is more of a method than a recipe, so don't take them too seriously, add or subtract as you like.

Impromptu Taco Salad
- 1 or 2 cups romaine lettuce
-about 1 cup black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 handful (about 1/4) cup 2% milk Taco Mix Shredded Cheese
-2 tablespoons fat free sour cream
-2 tablespoons salsa (I used mild salsa, but any salsa will work)
-2 small handfuls (about 1 serving or 12ish chips) crushed tortilla chips (I used Tostitos Scoops, but any chips would work)


-Combine lettuce, beans, and shredded cheese in large Salad bowl.
-In smaller separate bowl, mix sour cream and salsa.
-Pour salsa dressing over salad, toss to combine.
-After salad is mixed, sprinkle crushed tortilla chips over the top.

Would this win any gourmet awards? Probably not, but it was darn tasty. It was a wonderful way to get all the taco flavors without going nuts on greasy take-out. There are only two things I would do differently upon making this salad again. Firstly, I would squeeze some fresh lime juice over the salad just before tossing, becasue I think it would have added a nice brightness to the salad, and continued the Mexican theme. Sadly, I had no limes today. Second, in the original recipe I made today, I included a few jarred jalapeno slices. I probably wouldn't add them again, because they got kinda lost amid the salsa and the flavor was a little sharp and out of place. Though if you like jalapenos, go for it. I had this as a late lunch, but it would also work as a dinner salad, particularly if you added protein (beef, turkey, etc). Salads are so great to work with. The lettuce is a blank canvas for endless creative possibilities :)

Be Well :)
Lynn

P.S. I will try to start posting pictures of my creations, as soon as I figure out how one might do that 0_o