Saturday Salads: Taco Salad!

This is a slightly modified version of Doug's parents' recipe for taco salad. I LOVE it so much, you've got to try this one! It makes a ton of salad so make it for many because it doesn't keep well. I try cutting it back for just 2 but it's hard to make it small.

Taco Salad

1 pound browned lean ground beef
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 whole head iceberg lettuce, shredded
3/4 bag corn tortilla chips, slightly broken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 tomatoes, diced
small can sliced black olives
a couple of green onions, sliced fine
1/2 bottle Western or Russian flavored salad dressing

Brown the beef while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Drain fat if needed, then add rinsed beans to pan to lightly warm. Combine other ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then add in meat/bean mix. Toss well with salad dressing to coat.

Serve with sour cream, salsa and/or guacamole.

One way I try to make this smaller, I reserve half of the ingredients and refrigerate them separately to use the next day for lunch. Then I just mix it up the next day before serving.

Saturday Salads: Chunky Chicken Salad

2 boneless grilled chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 stalks celery, sliced
about 30 grapes, cut in half
small handful of chopped walnuts
about 1/2 t dill
a few cracks of fresh pepper
a few shakes of salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise

Combine & chill. Serve on whole wheat bread or stuffed in pita pockets with a bit of lettuce.

Variation:
use dried cranberries instead of grapes and pecans instead of walnuts for another yummy version of this salad!

Saturday Salads: Spinach, Strawberries & Goat Cheese

I took the kids out of town for part of spring break last week to visit my family, so my Saturday Salad post was actually Sunday dinner and I am just now making time to post it. :) It's not terribly unique, but was very good!

Spinach, Strawberries & Goat Cheese

1 box of Organic Baby Spinach, tear big leaves up a bit
1/2 a quart of fresh ripe strawberries, sliced
1/2 a red onion, sliced into thin rings
1 package Alouette Goat Cheese crumbles
Kraft Light Raspberry Vinegarette Dressing (leftover from previous salad night)

Loosely tossed together and served with a grilled chicken breast half.

If I would of had some pecan halves, I would of added those. I also thought this combo might be nice with a Poppy Seed Dressing, but Doug voted for the vinegarette.

Saturday Salads: Pear, Feta, Radish Salad

I made this salad for Sean's Teacher Appreciation lunch this week and they asked for the recipe. So I thought, hey, maybe that can be a blog post or even series idea. I LOVE salads and often make ones we like then forget later what I put in them. Hopefully this will help me remember them. :)


Pear, Feta, Radish Salad

1 box Organic Baby Romaine Lettuce
1 ripe fresh pear, chopped
4 radishes, sliced
1 pkg crumbled traditional feta cheese
handful sliced honey-baked almonds
Kraft Light Raspberry Vinegarette Dressing

Combine and toss. Makes enough for 2 as a main dish or several as a side (I add more radish and pear if it's for more than 2.)