All the nacho photos from my last post made me crave Mexican food! Off I went to the grocery store to pick-up ingredients for our go-to taco bowls.

We make this dish in some form or fashion at least twice a month – sometimes I use cooked rice, millet or quinoa instead of the shredded lettuce as the base. When I have avocado on hand, I will make guacamole and plop a big scoop on top instead of the plain yogurt. If you do not eat meat, you can make this meat-free by increasing the beans to 3-4 cups and adding 1-2 cups of a cooked grain as the “meat filling”. Gotta love options 🙂
My Favorite Taco Salad Bowls

Ingredients

Spice mix*
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika (you could use a heaping 1/2 tsp smoked paprika for a different but lovely smoky taste)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp oregano

2 tsp coconut oil, butter, ghee or other neutral oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups cooked beans (pinto or black)
3/4 lb ground meat (turkey, bison, chicken, beef)**
3 tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and deveined and minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime, juiced

For serving
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese (omit for dairy free or use dairy-free cheese)
plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, optional
avocado cubes or guacamole, optional

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add meat and onion and cook until meat is cooked through.
2. Stir in the spice mixture and beans, then toss to combine. Cook for about 5-6 minutes while preparing the tomatoes.
3. In a small mixing bowl, toss fresh tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro and jalapeno.
4. Add shredded lettuce to your bowl, top with bean-meat mixture and spoon on the tomato-lime mixture. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, avocado and greek yogurt/sour cream and enjoy! Serve with sturdy chips and use as spoons if you are like me 🙂

Serves 4-5
*If you prefer to use a pre-made spice pack to save time, feel free to substitute Southwest Taco Seasoning from Simply Organic.
**For a vegetarian dish, increase beans to 3-4 cups and add 1-2 cups of your favorite cooked grain. Crumbled tempeh might even work here as well!