Today marks the beginning of Week 2 of Ironman training (did I mention that I’m training for an Ironman triathlon? Yes, well, I am), and also served as the first two-a-day workout of the week. So by the time I got home from work, my stomach was rumbling and my patience for lengthy cooking times was … short. To say the least.
Enter: Taco salad!
We gave the cat her kidney fluids and then I got straight to work on dinner. In one pan: A package of cubed seitan, seasoned with adobo seasoning and cumin. In my trusty pot: A can of refried beans brought to a simmer. And in the oven: Two crispy taco-salad bowls, ripe for the filling!
As everything heated up, I went out back and plucked some lettuce leaves from the garden, then came back in and washed them off, setting them aside until Go Time. Once the shells were heated through and the seitan was fully cooked, I turned off all the eyes to the stove and got to work on the assembly line.
First, I heaped a generous portion of refried beans into each bowl. Then I topped the beans with plenty of seitan (but not all), and then the lettuce from the garden. Next I added the rest of the seitan and then some cherry tomatoes, sliced black olives, and Daiya pepperjack vegan cheese. We finished our salads off with some hot sauce from She Peppers and then the dressings of choice (I’ve been in LOVE with Daiya’s Ranch dressing lately!), and then we dug in!
There’s something so fresh, so filling, about a dinnertime salad, and LeeLee and I both ate our fill and felt perfectly satisfied after the fact. That’s not to say we didn’t pine for more – our appetites extended far beyond our hunger! – but all in due time. We’ve got two more taco bowls left, after all, and who’s to say what the rest of the week’s meals will bring?
:)