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Quick and Easy Turkey Taco Salad
This recipe goes out to all the people on a time crunch, like busy parents and students pulling all-nighters, who also are trying to be at least somewhat thoughtful towards caloric intake. Chef Zach’s version of turkey taco salad is a fallback in our house during busy times, and we like that it’s a zesty alternative to the typical salad.
Makes 2 servings
1 bag of corn tortilla chips
1 lb. Jennie-O ground lean turkey
1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded or cut to your preference
1 jar Pace picante medium salsa
20 sliced cherry tomatoes (“This is the perfect sweet touch” -August)
Small container of light sour cream
1 can of kidney beans, well rinsed and drained
2/3 cup water
1 small can of black pitted olives, drained
1/4 cup of Tone’s taco seasoning
Shredded cheddar cheese for sprinkling
Optional: sliced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro or chopped fresh green onions
Prep all ingredients as described: shred or cut lettuce, slice tomatoes in half lengthwise, rinse and drain kidney beans in a strainer, drain olives similarly, and prepare your garnish of avocado, cilantro, or green onions.
• For the turkey:
Heat saute pan over high heat. Add turkey and work quickly with a spatula or wooden spoon to break the meat into dime-size pieces. Allow the meat to brown for 3-4 minutes without disturbing it at all. Flip meat over so the unbrowned side gets its turn to brown; leave alone for another 3 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning and allow to cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add water and reduce to medium-low heat, uncovered. The meat will be ready when almost all the water is absorbed. Turn off heat; set aside and allow to cool for 5 minutes before building salad, or else the lettuce will wilt if the meat is too hot.
• For the dressing:
Blend 1 cup of Pace salsa with an immersion blender, food processor, or blender until smooth. Add 1/3 cup of sour cream and mix until well blended.
To layer: Start with a small handful of chips for the base. To this, add a medium handful of lettuce, then the kidney beans, turkey meat, cheese, olives, tomatoes, dressing, additional sour cream and garnish. ¡Disfrútate!