first recipe! vegetarian taco salad

i said from the beginning i'd post some recipes when i happened upon them. well, here you go!

my summers are literally full of cold salads. i just hate turning on the stove or oven when it's so hot. this is one of my favorites due to the fact that it's simple, so fresh and really really filling. there are days when i eat it for lunch and am hardly hungry for dinner that night.

this is one of my own creation and helped along by my parents. we grew up eating taco salad and it has always been one of my favorite things to eat. but since i stopped eating meat, i've struggled with how to make it just as delicious and a bit healthier.

problem. solved.

*disclaimer: my salad recipes are typically of the "to taste and quantity" variety, so feel free to add or take out whatever you like. i believe salads have lots of wiggle room. :)

ingredients:

2-3 cans of beans - rinsed and drained (i like to use black, kidney, pinto and white beans, or any combination thereof; because this is the base of your salad, the amount you use will dictate how much of everything else you use.)

half a bag of frozen corn/1 can of corn

1/2 red onion - diced

1/2 -1 pint of cherry tomatoes - quartered

1 can of black olives - quartered

red bell pepper - diced optional

1 jalapeño - ribbed, seeded and diced

a bunch of cilantro - chopped (or less if you're not a big fan)

salt and pepper

1 lime

sour cream

salsa of preference

taco seasoning

cayenne pepper and/or hot sauce if desired

shredded cheese (any variety of cheddar is good, but feta and cojita can also be yummy)

corn or tortilla chips (i like to buy the 50% less salted fritos)

torn lettuce - about a cup or two per person?

In a large bowl with a lid, put beans, corn, onion, olives, tomatoes, jalapeño, red pepper and cilantro (to preference). Salt and pepper liberally. Add juice from half the lime (or more). Mix well.

In a small bowl with a lid, mix equal parts sour cream and salsa. You can adjust this to a higher salsa ratio if you're looking to cut down on dairy fats. Add taco seasoning, starting with about a teaspoon, and increasing to taste. This is also where you add cayenne pepper and/or hot sauce. I also like to add a bit of lime juice and more cilantro to this dressing. Mix well.

If you're making this for a big party, you can add the lettuce, cheese chips and a few tablespoons of dressing, cover with the lid and shake well!

Since I make this for one person, here's how I do it:

I put as much lettuce as I like, usually about two or three leaves (I use green leaf), in a bowl (also with a lid; i'm a mover and a shaker!), spoon about a cup or so of the bean mixture on top, add a small handful of chips that I crunch in my hand, about 1/4 cup of cheese (or less. or more.), and about two tablespoons of dressing, cover and shake shake!

This is most helpful to me because there are few things I hate more than soggy lettuce, soggy cheese, and soggy chips. The beans stay plenty fresh for quite a few days, and you really are in control of your portioning.

Now that's not to say that my portions aren't good-sized. :)

Variation: I really like to make this when I have leftover homemade spanish rice. I add half a cup or something close and because my rice is so full of flavor, I don't really need a lot of dressing, if any. This is something to keep in mind for fall and winter days when you have burrito night: just skip the bean mixture, add the rice and leftover burrito beans!

What's your favorite taco salad dressing? How have you found a way to cut out calories or fat from taco salad?

summer lovin'

this has been the summer of adventure. a road trip to seattle; a plane ride to grand rapids; and soon a train/bus ride to humboldt. i have been taking full advantage of my unemployment.

additionally, i have learned a crap ton about myself. seattle taught my that i need more friends my age (or older... :]) and that i will always have a place in the northwest. michigan taught me that i don't have to settle for the life i find myself in, but that i don't have to run from it, either.

since i've already given an overview of my washington excursions, i feel as if my tour de midwest needs a summary. grand rapids, particularly eastown where i spent most of my eight days, is a city that moves. cars, buses, walkers and a ton of cyclists. i got my initiation into the hipster lifestyle by taking a 2.6+ mile bike ride to the Grand River by the Gerald R. Ford museum. The humidity was a bit higher that day, and since it was only my second day in the midwest, i was still trying to adjust. needless to say that by the time we were almost home, i lost my mind. i was struggling with the gears of kristen's road bike (the kind of which i had never ridden before and wasn't a fan), insanely thirsty as i'd forgotten my water bottle, and the hills were the bane of my existence. i made kadilyn stop so i could prevent myself from throwing up where she commenced laughing at me and telling me i was being dramatic. it was a rough day, i won't lie to you. thankfully, it rained later and broke the pressure in the air.

the rest of the week was much better; i managed another bike ride around eastown (though my pelvis hurt so badly i could hardly sit), we walked many miles (easily ten, probably more), and i even got to swim in Lake Michigan. *side note: it is the weirdest and coolest experience to swim at a beach with no salt; i loved it.* it's just what you do in grand rapids. particularly if you don't own a car, like kadilyn.

i adored the midwest. i totally fell in love and i can't wait to go back. but i realized that a lot of the things i loved about it can be part of the life i have now. i've decided to get my produce from a farmers market always instead of just thinking it would be cool. i've only used my car three times since i got back and have committed myself to walking as often as i can. i hope to be able to get a bike soon because i find it ridiculous that i never leave folsom, but always use my car. it's just expensive and not conscientious.

so. i've started new healthy initiatives. walking, fresh and local produce and also a new appreciation for quality conversation. it does so much good for the soul, let me tell you.

what are you doing new this school year? how has your summer affected your healthy habits?