Mel's Taco Supreme Salad (my favourite Guacamole & Salsa recipe)

This satisfying (low-carb) salad has 3 easy parts and it makes great left-overs, 'cause the ingredients can also be served as soft tortilla wrap fillings or crispy taco stuffings (or go crazy! and have a crispy taco inside a soft one)

Victorian Epicure Products this salad uses are: Taco Seasoning; Guacamole Dip Mix; and Salsa mix: choose your heat: Poco Picante (Medium) Caliente (hotchacha); sea salt and pepper. Optional time savers: toasted onion and red bell peppers.

The three parts are:

1--The Salad & Toppings
2--The Dressing
3--The Tortillas

1--THE SALAD & TOPPINGS

Chop or tear:
Iceberg lettuce (for the crunch; you can add the greener/more red varieties for flavour and vitamins)

Dice:
a red pepper (or use V.E. red bell peppers to save time)

Grate:
old cheddar (or your choice of cheese)
Season to taste with V.E. Sea Salt & V.E. Pepper to taste

Chunky fresh salsa--"kicked up a notch!":

Mix:
2 tablespoons V.E. salsa mix (Poco Picante (medium) or for the brave: Caliente (hot)
1/2 a finely chopped Spanish onion
2 fresh tomatoes (chopped coarsely)
1 can of tomatoes drained and chopped
1/2 a pepper finely-chopped (green or yellow look best)
fresh cilantro chopped (to taste)
1/2 a lime juiced
salt and fresh pepper to taste
Optional for heat and flavour: fresh jalapeño

Let flavours marry and seasonings hydrate for 1/2 an hour. This keeps very well and is a fantastic low-fat, lycopene-filled topping/filling for: wraps, sandwiches, Mexican recipes, meats, eggs, hot dogs, hamburgers. Salsa's also a vegetarian's best friend for flavour.

P.s. This makes a large amount of salsa; half it if you need to.

Meat or Vegetarian Taco Topping:

Brown prepared mix of:

2 tablespoons V.E. Taco seasoning

1 lb lean ground beef/chicken/turkey... or 20 medium-sized finely chopped mushrooms. (adjust

the seasoning to taste.)

1 clove garlic

1/2 a finely-chopped medium onion

--If you immediately mix all ingredients above with the seasoning (before the meat/mushrooms are cooked) it tastes much better, I swear; something about already cooked things not absorbing flavour--don't know the technical name ;-)

salt and pepper to taste.

2--THE DRESSING

This dressing is also topping! It's a Creamy Guacamole Dip set free!
(use light products if you like)

My ultimate favourite Guacamole recipe:

Mix:
2 tablespoons guacamole dip mix
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise

Let this mix sit for 1/2 an hour (or you can leave it in your fridge overnight, or until you need it.)

Before serving add the sour cream mix to a bowl with:

2 ripe avocados (leave some chunks if you like em.)
1/2 a fresh green jalapeño pepper finely diced (optional of course) You can always try a wee bit for great flavour or add a lot.
and the Juice of half a small lemon

To turn into a dressing just add 2-3 tablespoons water; that way, you can have both guacamole dip and dressing on hand by only adding liquid to the amount of dreesing you need to dress your taco salad.

3--THE TORTILLAS

My favourite to serve with this is white or yellow taco shells heated in the oven and broken into triangles. The warm crunch is a great texture against the smoothness of the guacamole dressing and the fresh bite of the lettuce and they make perfect scoopers: a fun party food and an answer to the messy eating of 'normal' tacos.

Other options are tortilla chips, warmed or not. Low-fat versions include any crisp bread, toasted pita or thinly sliced toasted baguette.

OR Try making Cajun Tortilla Chips

(Yield 32 chips) A low-fat treat that pairs well with spicy salsa. Spray vegetable oil instead of butter to reduce the amount of saturated fat (or coconut oil: it doesn't turn into a trans fat when heated & the flavour is heavenly!):

4 - 8" (20 cm) tortilla rounds1 Tbsp (15 ml) melted butter1 - 2 tsp (5 - 10 ml) VE Cajun Seasoning
2 tsp (10 ml) Parsley, Sea Salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C).

2. Whisk together melted butter (or oil), Cajun Seasoning and Parsley.

3. Cut each pita round into 8 even wedges and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with prepared butter and sprinkle with Sea Salt.

4. Bake for approximately 8 minutes, or until chips are crisp and slightly browned. Serve with taco supreme salad or a selection of prepared Dips.

ALSO,

This salad is just as easily served as a layered dip:

Simply mix 1 8oz pkg of cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream with a tbsp of herb and garlic dip mix and spread in a dish, then pile the goodies on top.

Leave your guacamole as a dip (instead of the dressing) and voila!

I layer in this order:

cream cheese base-->guacamole-->salsa-->lettuce-->(and save some diced peppers and cilantro to top with; green onions is another optional addition).

E.T.A: If you're avoiding red meat, chicken makes a great substitute for the hamburger.

Enjoy!
Mel