World Wide Vegan

A while back I posted a recipe for Taco Filling which was good but took a little work. Today I am posting an easier and even better tasting taco salad recipe. The bean recipe is actually adapted from my son's recipe and can be used as a taco filling or burrito filling as well as for taco salad. This recipe is absolutely man friendly and kid friendly.

The guacamole sauce is a blend of my homemade salsa and homemade guacamole recipes. I decided to process the ingredients altogether instead of adding bottled sauce to the guacamole. It turned out delicious. Generally I use a hand chopper to make the guacamole and the salsa so that there are chunks, but for this recipe I used my processor to create a smooth guacamole/salsa blend.

I also used Original flavor Sun Chips instead of Frito's or tortilla chips in this recipe but you can use whichever you prefer.


Tip: This recipe calls for several onions and according to "Real Age.com" an 8-year study shows that people who consumed the highest levels of three powerful flavonols -- kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin, found in onions, reduced their risk of pancreatic cancer by 23 percent.

Taco Salad With Homemade Guacamole Sauce

Bean Filling
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans rinsed and drained
4 cloves garlic
2 T. taco seasoning mix or 1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 Tbs. oil
1/4 c. water

Saute garlic in oil for about 1 minute, don't brown. Add beans, taco seasoning, and water and cook over Medium heat stiring frequently until most of water is absorbed. Set Aside

Taco Salad Ingredients
tortilla or corn chips
shredded lettuce
soy cheese, shredded
2 chopped tomatoes
soy sour cream or IMO
1 chopped onion
homemade guacamole-salsa sauce (see below)
olives (opt.)

Place lettuce on plate. top with chips, beans, onions, cheese, IMO, guacamole sauce, tomatoes and olives.

Guacamole Salsa Sauce
5 ripe avocados
1 small onion
1 small can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
2 small ripe tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/2 seeded jalapeño (more to taste)
1/4 seeded bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Store leftovers in tightly sealed container up to 1 day.

Labels: beans, guacamole, salsa, taco salad, Vegan, Vegetarian

This week I'm in Kauai, Hawaii. We are staying in a condo which not only is more comfortable than a hotel but it allows us to do our own cooking. Of course we eat out part of the time but it is nice to create nutritious meals that meet our dietary requirements as well.

Last night we came back from a very full day of fun in the sun (in November no-less) and I didn't feel like doing anything fancy so I threw together a fabulous taco salad. It is a family favorite while traveling or at home. We were so tired and hungry that I forgot to take a photo before we devoured it. Just imagine a bed of greens with seasoned beans, guacamole and olives on top.

With my family helping we threw this together in about 15 minutes. The men in my family prefer to add chips and cheeze but it is still fabulous and filling without the heavy additions.

Travel Tip - When traveling instead of carting bottles of seasonings along, try purchasing seasonings in bags in the ethnic section if your grocery store. Better yet, pour some of your own spice into 1-2 oz. zip-bags (found in craft stores).

In a pot I combined:
1 can of drained & rinsed black beans
1 can of drained & rinsed pinto beans
3T. tomato paste
1/2 chopped onion*
1 c. water
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
2 t. Mexican oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
pinch of crushed red chili pepper (to taste)
2 t. chili powder
salt to taste

Simmer while preparing remaining salad ingredients (15-20 minutes)

Place into serving bowls:
1 bag rinsed & drained chopped greens
1 can sliced black olives
Bottled salsa
Shredded soy cheeze if desired - I omitted the cheese to reduce the fat content.
Guacamole (see recipe below or make your own recipe)
Corn chips (optional) I omitted the chips


Guacamole: mash avocado. add remaining ingredients - 1/3 jar medium salsa, salt, 1/2 t. lemon juice.

* if you are feeding people who don't appreciate onions you can keep them out to sprinkle on the salad later.

Start with the lettuce greens and add toppings as desired.

Labels: beans, easy, family favorite, Hawaii, taco salad, Vegan