The first part of this week has been hectic – I dare say even more hectic than usual! Between a company retreat on my part to several late-night meetings on LeeLee’s, we’ve been running around like crazy. So tonight, while I knew I wanted to eat at home, I also knew I wanted something healthy and easy to make. Taco salad definitely fit the bill.
When I got home, I pulled a can of refried beans out of the pantry and opened it to heat atop the stove (in a pot, you know, not in the can!). As it warmed up, I put a bag of vegetarian ground “beef” into a nonstick skillet coated with spray and seasoned the crumbles with adobo seasoning and a bit of ground cumin for fun, then heated it on Medium. Finally, I’ve had a package of taco-shell bowls waiting in the cabinet for just such an occasion, so I got them down and heated two up in the oven for 5 minutes or so until they were golden.
And that, dear friends, was the hard part.
Once everything was heated and cooked, it was time to assemble the salads! I put each bowl atop a separate plate, then added refried beans, then crumbles, then lettuce, and cherry tomatoes, and pickled jalapeno slices, and just a smidge of cheddar cheese left over from the weekend. Next we added our favorite salad dressings – ranch for me tonight, a balsamic vinaigrette for LeeLee – and a bit of nutritional yeast for me, and we were ready to dive right in!
I must admit, there were no leftovers tonight, save for some extra lettuce leaves and two remaining taco bowls. We both came to dinner hungry and mowed down our helpings with gusto and aplomb. What wasn’t to love? The refried beans were almost creamy, they were so smooth; the taco “meat” had just enough of a kick to be interesting. And who doesn’t love tearing apart the sides of one’s taco bowl? It was a fitting meal for a busy day.
:)