Taco Salad with Guacamole Dressing
Ingredients
1/2 lb. ground Hamburger, cooked, or left-over meats such as Chicken, Turkey, Pork, or Steak, cubed
1 bag of pre-washed mixed Salad, or 1 head of Lettuce, cut
1 bag of Tortilla Chips or Fritos
1 cup Guacamole Salad Dressing (recipe below)
1/2 cup Jack Cheese, grated or cubed
1 small can of sliced Black Olives, or Black Beans, drained, or 1/2 cup garden fresh beans
10 Cherry Tomatoes, halved
1/2 White or Purple Onion, sliced
Directions
In a frying pan stove-top, pre-cook ground hamburger meat until browned. Remove from heat and allow it to cool before draining off excess grease. Or use left-over meats, cutting into small cubes.
In a large serving bowl add lettuce or packaged salad mix, arranging chips all around the edges as shown. Layer over top of salad only (leaving chips exposed) cooked and/or leftover cubed meat, guacamole dressing, and then the Jack cheese.For a festive presentation as well as healthy nutrition, scatter a selection of drained olives or black beans, onion slices, and cherry tomato halves over everything, as shown here.
Guacamole Salad Dressing
Ingredients
1 Avocado, pitted, sliced & cubed
1/2 cup salsa (we use homemade Sassy Salsa)
1/4 cup sourcream
Directions
Carefully remove the avocado pit. Slice and then cube the avocado right in the shells. Squeeze out the cubed flesh into a mixing bowl.
Mash the avocado cubes into desired consistency, adding the salsa and sour cream.
Add this Guacamole Dressing over the Taco Salad meat layer (above).
Spanish Red Peppers Salad
Ingredients:
1 Onion
Olive oil, better if extra virgin
Vinegar ( wine, cider, etc.)
A pinch of salt
Wash peppers and dry thoroughly. Roast them in the oven until the skin is black.
Let them cool covered with a cloth. Once cooled, remove the skin and seeds, cut the pepper into strips with your fingers.
Chop the onion and mix it with the peppers. Then add the oil, vinegar and salt.
Let it cool in the refrigerator before serving.
Cucumber & Tomato Salad Variations
| Ranch Dip Dressing |
Vinaigrette Dressing
Ingredients:
Chives, fresh cut
Tomatoes, medium, fresh-sliced
Cucumbers, fresh-sliced, peeled or not
Olive Oil & Vinegar Drizzle, or favorite Vinaigrette Dressing
Feta Cheese, crumbled or Mozzarella Cheese, grated
Cut a green onion stalk from your Herb Garden as shown in our Garden Fresh section, and snip with scissors into chives.
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| For Chives Cut Green Onion Stems with Scissors |
Drizzle olive oil & vinegar, or your favorite vinaigrette, over the tomatoes and cucumbers.
Top with grated Mozzarella, or crumbled Feta Cheese, and sprinkle fresh cut chives over center. Salt & pepper to taste.
I've used vinegar-marinated cucumbers here, but you will probably slice yours fresh from the garden.
Preserve sliced cucumbers:
Ranch Dip
Ingredients:
Chives
2 medium Tomatoes, sliced or
10 small Cherry Tomatoes, halved
2 Cucumbers, sliced (with or without peel)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen Green Peas
8 oz. container of Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt1 individual packet Ranch Dip season mix
Leaving Chives until last (to sprinkle on top) mix the Sour Cream, or Plain Yogurt, with a packet of Ranch Dip seasoning mix into a large mixing bowl.
Slice Cucumbers and Tomatoes directly into the dip-filled mixing bowl, along with 1/2 cup fresh or frozen Green Peas. Stir all together and pour into a large, decorative serving dish, or individual salad bowls. Sprinkle fresh cut garden chives on top.
You may also wish to serve your salad over a bed of lettuce, or add garnishes such as marinated broccoli, or sprigs of parsley.
