LAMORINDA WEEKLY | This hearty salad helps fill the summer dinner void


Turkey taco salad Photo Susie Iventosch

I don't know about you, but I can never seem to get enough of salads in the summer, especially if you have a great victory garden growing in your backyard! We love to make hearty salads with meat and cheese and lots of seasonal veggies so that they are filling enough to serve as the main dinner course. They are easy to prepare ahead of time so when you get back from work or fun weekend activities they are ready to go. This taco salad is a perfect example of one with plenty of hearty fixings to satisfy even the hungriest of appetites. Made with a virtual rainbow of veggies along with seasoned ground meat, cheese and crushed tortilla chips and tossed in a lime-salsa vinaigrette, you will feel like you had a full 4-course meal. Serve with a warm flour tortilla on the side or you can even make a wrap out of it. I like to use ground turkey, but chicken, beef or bison all work great in this recipe.

Turkey Taco Salad

(Serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

1 head Romaine, cleaned and torn into bite-sized pieces

1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and removed from stems

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and chopped

1 Anaheim chili, stem and seeds removed and chopped

1 poblano pepper, stem and seeds removed and chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed and finely chopped

1 large tomatillo, chopped

20 cherry tomatoes, halved or larger ripe tomatoes cut into bite-sized pieces

1 small jicama or about 1/2 cup chopped

1 cup of corn, preferably fresh from two ears of corn that have been barbecued ahead of time

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained

1 pound ground turkey (or beef), cooked according to directions below

1 taco seasoning packet (Lawry's, McCormick or other)

2 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons water

1 cup grated sharp white or yellow cheddar

2 cups Doritos Nacho Cheese tortilla chips, slightly crushed

1 recipe Lime-Salsa Dressing (below)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a frying pan and add ground turkey. Sprinkle taco seasoning packet over the top. Add water. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often. (If possible mash the ground turkey with the Kitchen Queen Meat Chopper. This is a purchase you will never regret!) Once completely cooked, remove from heat and cool. Refrigerate until ready to use. Can also be made ahead and frozen for several months.

Spread two ears of corn with canola oil. Season to taste with Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Barbecue corn over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, rotating every 2 minutes to distribute cooking evenly. Remove from grill and cool. When cooled to room temp, cut corn off cobs and set aside.

When ready to serve, place all ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss with Salsa Lime Vinaigrette (recipe below). Serve with fresh flour tortillas.

Lime-Salsa Dressing:

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup salsa

2 teaspoons your favorite hot sauce

S&P to taste

Place all ingredients in a container with a tight-fitting lid and shake well. Refrigerate until ready to use. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before tossing salad, to allow oil to come to room temperature.