Taco Salad

Hello!

I hope your Monday wasn't too painful. Mine went by pretty fast! I was very excited for dinner all day long. I make some type of taco dish every other week or so because it is so easy, quick, healthy, and delicious!

For this recipe, I was originally going to use some meatless ground for the "meat" of this dish, but the grocery store was out, so I used plain ol' black beans. It turned out wonderfully!

Taco Salad
6 corn tortillas
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
cumin
chili powder
black pepper
cayenne pepper
tabasco
lettuce
onion
salsa
sour cream - I used Tofutti's vegan sour cream, you could also use plain greek yogurt
cheese - I used Dayia's vegan cheddar cheese, but again, you could use any type you like

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut corn tortillas (I use a pizza cutter) into chip like pieces and arrange on a baking sheet. Coat with olive oil and salt to taste and bake for about 10 minutes. Check them frequently because they do burn pretty quickly. They should be crispy and just beginning to brown when they are done.

While the tortillas are baking, drain and rinse the black beans. Then place into a skillet, and cook on medium heat. Use the spices listed to season the beans to your liking.

The beans should be done at about the same time as the chips. Then serve with your choice of toppings!

Delicious! I like to assemble mine by starting with lettuce, then beans, cheese, onion, salsa, sour cream, and then the chips. I had this plate, and then another serving! Dillon loved it, too! We've never done a taco salad with beans before, and they were really good. Definitely one of my favorite meals.

I've always loved tacos, and they are just so versatile! Plus- this meal took only about 20 minutes to make, which is great since I don't get home from work until a little after 6:30.

Well I think I'm going to do some reading before turning in for the night. I just picked up some compression socks (in hot pink, of course) that I'm excited to wear during my run tomorrow morning! I must be well rested to have a good run. I'll report back later with how I feel about them.

Good night!
~Kasey

Meal Plan: January 2-8

Good Morning!

As promised, here is what I plan on cooking this week. The first listing is what I will pack Dillon and I for lunch, and then the second is what I plan to make for dinner.

To Prep
Brown Rice, Black Beans, Chickpeas Tofu, Nut Butter

Sunday
Tofu Scramble
Refried Bean Tacos

Monday
Rice bowl w/tofu and broccoli (chickpeas for hubs)
Salad with Beans/Leftovers

Tuesday
Black Bean Wrap & Salad
Fried Rice

Wednesday
Salad or Rice Bowl w/Tofu (chickpeas for hubs)
Leftovers

Thursday
AB&J Sandwich
Grilled Tofu Sandwiches (turkey burger for hubs) & roasted veggies

Friday
Leftover Tofu for me, Black Bean Wrap for Dillon
Seitan Guinness Stew

Saturday
Leftovers

Seems pretty do-able! Along with lunches, I always pack snacks like clementines, apples, nuts, etc because I like to snack a bit throughout the day.

The prep I do is on Sunday which makes throwing together lunches really easy. As for the meals in italics, I plan to make sure you get a recap of those :)

To Start, here is a brief description of how I prep on Sundays.

I made nut butter earlier in the day by blending ~ 1 cup of cashews until creamy (about 10 minutes).

Brown Rice
I used 1 cup of dry, long grain brown rice and 2 1/3 cups of water.

First, boil the water. Then add the rice, stir once, and let it sit, covered, for 45 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

Be patient and really just leave it alone to do its thing.

All done! 1 cup of dried rice made about 4 cups of cooked rice. I'll be using this in the rice bowls and in the fried rice I'm going to make on Tuesday.

While the rice was cooking, I made the next 3 things.

Black Beans
I started by draining and rinsing 1 can of black beans. Then I put it in a frying pan and added spices.

Cooked for about 7-10 minuted until warm and covered in the spices.


Chickpeas
I repeated the draining and rinsing for the chickpeas. Spiced and browned in a pan for these as well.

Cooked about 10-12 minuted until browned.


Tofu
I pressed the tofu for about 20 minutes before cooking. I used the same spices for the tofu as I did for the chickpeas.

Cooked for about 15 minutes until nice and brown.

All ready to go!

I did all of this in about 30 minutes and even cleaned up the kitchen while everything was cooking. It's surprising how productive I can be if I want to :)

I think this will really help the week be less hectic. Having healthy food on hand is very important to me, and it's pretty easy as long as you plan ahead!

Happy Monday! I'm working for 10 hours since its supposed to be a really busy day. I'll be glad to come home and relax.  I hope you have a great day!

~Kasey