Layered Taco Salad

total time:: 45 min

Makes 6 servings

This is an excellent Taco Salad I found off Epicurious.com. I’ve altered it a bit as I haven’t been able to find a ’clean’ chili powder, so the ingredients here make up for that spice.

ingredients

For Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
For Beef/Turkey:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 fresh Serrano chile’s (excluding seeds), finely chopped
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 pound ground chuck (turkey)
1 (8-oz) can tomato ’clean’ tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
For Salad:
1 firm-ripe avocado
1 head firm romaine lettuce, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 (15-oz) can ’clean’ black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (6-oz) can sliced pitted black olives, drained
1/4 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
Accompaniment: tortilla chips (made with corn/safflower/canola/sunflower oils only)

directions

1
Make Dressing:
2
Whisk all dressing ingredients together, adding oil last as you whisk until emulsified.
3
Cook Beef:
4
Cook onion with spices in the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, until onion is well softened (about 6 minutes). Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up lumps, until meat is no longer pink (about 5 minutes), then spoon off any excess fat from skillet.
5
Add tomato sauce, salt, and pepper to beef and cook until slightly thickened (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.
6
Assemble Salad:
7
Peel and pit avocado, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces.
8
Spread lettuce over bottom of a shallow 4-quart dish. Spoon beef mixture evenly over lettuce and continue making layer with tomatoes, beans, avocado, and olives. Drizzle dressing over salad.
9
Put cheese in a separate bowl and serve on the side.