Recipe: Virtuous Taco Salad

[Guest guest]

Here's a spicy recipe to help compensate for maybe having overeaten

during the holiday season. I love this stuff and could eat it almost

every night. Many of us have a similar recipe, but maybe some of you

haven't thought of doing this yet.

 

Taco Salad

 

First make the taco filling:

 

1 - 12 oz. container El Burrito Soy Taco Meatless Taco Filling

(available in the refrigerated or deli section of many U.S. grocery

stores -- this vegetarian product contains no eggs or dairy)

1 - 15 oz. can of kidney or other beans

1 small (6 - 8 oz.) can of tomato juice

Chipotle powder, canned diced jalepenos, or hot sauce as desired

 

Combine ingredients and heat. Serves 6.

 

1 serving = 165 calories; 6 grams fat (using jalepenos)

 

Assembly:

 

Crunch baked or lowfat corn chips in bottom of bowl (optional)

Add lots of lettuce, cabbage, and other greens or veggies

Top with 1/6 taco filling recipe

Next top with as many toppings as you desire. Here are a few I use:

Cheese (nondairy, fatfree, or a little regular -- I just use a tiny

bit of regular on top of the hot taco filling)

Sliced olives

Tomatoes or salsa

Cilantro

Green onion tops, snipped

Diced mild onions (or soak diced regular onions in several changes of water)

FF or lowfat or nondairy sour cream

LF ranch dressing

Buffalo Chipotle Sauce (addictive)

 

Serve at once.

 

Notes: This is a great company dish! You can set up your taco bar

and let guests help themselves to whatever they want with their taco

filling. Double the filling batch and keep it in a slow cooker for

guests to serve themselves. This is my main company dish, since it's

so easy and nobody has to eat what they don't like.

 

Freeze leftover taco filling or use it in the following ways:

In tacos (duh!)

Layered in a taco casserole

Taco " Impossible Pie " (not lowfat)

In a burrito with veggies and maybe rice (convert this to a casserole

by putting the burritos in a casserole dish, topping with enchilada

or other lowfat sauce and maybe a little cheese, and baking until

thoroughly heated

To fill appetizers, calzones, wontons etc.

On a tostado shell with shredded lettuce etc on top

 

If the El Burrito soy taco filling is unavailable in your area or you

want to go from scratch, you can use " Grounds " or TVP, dried onions,

and taco flavorings and vegetable broth. Then add the beans and tomato juice.

 

Sherry in Oregon