Taco Salad

      We are big salad people (shocking, I know).  If I ask Punky for dinner suggestions when working on the meal plan, 9 times out of 10, she'll ask for salad.  Taco salad is a great way to change things up a bit, and is itself pretty flexible.

      I started by putting on some bulgar to boil, and prepping the raw portions while it cooked.  While Tempah is my favorite unprocessed meat substitute, Bulgar works great in this recipe because it looks a lot more like meat.

       I chopped up some organic romaine (MacGyver's favorite lettuce), which is a good source of vitamin K, and mixed in some organic baby spinach. Flintstone took great pleasure in pumping the salad spinner after I washed the greens.

       I topped it with a green pepper and a half (sadly only 1/2 from the garden since it IS January), and a lot of organic tomatoes (again only partially from the garden).  Sometimes, I'll sauté the peppers with onion and mushrooms, but tonight I was feeling a little lazy.

      I also mixed up a quick and easy, but absolutely delicious, guacamole:

      2 ripe avacadoes
      2 tbsp organic salsa
      1 1/2 tbsp HUMANE plain yogurt (Cabot, Organic Valley, or Stonyfield Farms)
      1/4 tsp cilantro
      1/2 tsp lemon juice

      Peel the avacado (no need to chop or dice, I peel it in quarters, which I find to be easiest), and put in a bowl with all the other ingredients.  Mach with a fork.  BAM. Done. Top with fresh chopped tomatoes. Delish.

       Bulgar Taco Filling:
      1 cup uncooked bulgar wheat Icooked w/ 2c water)
      1/2 can Amy's Vegetarian Refried Beans
      1 tsp Garlic Powder
      1 tsp Onion Powder
      1 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
      1 tsp oregano
      1/2 tsp paprika
      1/4 tsp dried chili flakes
      1/2 tsp chili powder
      1/2 tsp black pepper
       Dash salt, if desired

      By now the bulgar was done cooking, and I mixed in 1/2 a can of Amy's organic vegetarian refried beans (which is amazing, by the way) and all the seasonings.  The amounts listed above are estimates and should be adjusted to your taste.  Ideally, I'd use fresh, lightly sautéed onion and garlic, but like I said, I was lazy tonight.  Stir it all together, being sure to evenly mix the beans throughout. I like the crumbly texture, but you could add water if you want it a little smoother.

       Then we assembled our salads:
       Greens and fresh veggies,
       Bulgar taco filling,
       Refried beans,
       Salsa,
       Gaucamole,
       And a dallop plain, HUMANE yogurt.

      If you've never tried subbing plain yogurt for sour cream, you MUST try it. It works amazingly.  Seriously. It rocks.

       Lastly, if you live with MacGyver and Punky, you top with crushed up unsalted tortilla chips.

      Enjoy! Let me know if you try it!