Taco Salad Bowl

An American favorite, although not American at all, the taco salad has been made famous at food chains like Chipotle, Moe’s and Qdoba and for good reasons – they are delicious, customizable and also give you the illusion of being healthy because the word salad is in the title. Try my taco salad, customized for health!

What salad was ever bad for you? Like everything else you’ve seen on my blog, almost all recipes can be made healthier. Here is my twist on a traditional taco salad – with clean wholesome ingredients. Using homemade seasoning to marinate the turkey (not beef) and DIY chipotle sauce (that takes 5 minutes to make), you can have takeout tasting taco salad from your skillet!

Layered with brown rice and lettuce as a base, then topped with ground turkey, avocado, black beans, avocado and cheddar, this is a protein packed meal.

Layering the salad.

Price – This is a 2 out of 4 on my price scale. The veggie toppings are all inexpensive (around $1 each). The ground turkey is comparable in price to chicken (about $4 per pound). The price heightens with the DIY Taco Seasoning and Chipotle Sauce, if you don’t have some of the stuff on hand already. Whole Foods bulk section sells seasonings in small amounts, under $1 for each. I also recommend the Simply Organic brand of seasonings found at Giant and Whole Foods. They come in 0.60 oz containers for about $2 each (depending on the type of seasoning). A lot less than buying large amounts, especially if you don’t need a lot.

I’m not superwoman, so I tried and tested the Taco Seasoning and Chipotle Sauce from fellow bloggers:

Taco Seasoning Recipe from Tomato Boots

Creamy Chipotle Sauce Recipe from The Garden Grazer

Taco Salad Bowl Recipe

Serving Size 2

¾ cup Brown Rice

½ pound Ground Turkey

¼ cup Water

2 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning

2 cups Romaine Lettuce, chopped

1 Avocado

2 Roma Tomatoes

1 Cup Black Beans

½ cup Cheddar Cheese

Chipotle Sauce to taste

Lime Juice to taste

Taco Seasoning (From Tomato Boots)

 (I cut out the onion powder)
1 tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp oregano

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 tbsp cumin

2 1/2 tsp coarse salt

2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp flour

Creamy Chipotle Sauce (From The Garden Grazer)

1/2 cup plain greek yogurt

1 chipotle in adobo sauce

1/2 tsp. adobo sauce

1-2 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. cumin

Directions:

Cook brown rice as directed on package. In a medium skillet add ground turkey, turn to medium heat. Add water, and taco seasoning. Stir and cook until brown. This recipe makes for two, but you can portion this to taste, adding more or less of the toppings. In a medium size bowl, layer half of all the toppings – first brown rice, then romaine (chopped), avocado (sliced) , tomato(chopped), black beans, cheese (shredded) and ground turkey. Repeat in second bowl. Top with Chipotle Sauce and spritz of lime juice to taste. 

Enjoy and be well!