Sep. 23: Salad deliciousness

When I worked in downtown Portland I frequently had lunch at California Crisp, a made-to-order salad place at the Pioneer Place food court. My favorite menu item was their Tostada Salad, which I re-created at home to critical acclaim. No, I don’t think that makes me a special kinda culinary artiste, but having watched them make my salad every time I ordered it, I’da had to be a dummy not to figger out the ingredients.

We’ve been making this for years now, and tweaked it to our liking so it’s pretty close to perfect. It’s hearty, and especially nice when we’re on a high protein diet, because cutting quite a few of the carbs will still leave you with a very tasty salad.

We made the salad for dinner tonight and I thought it was time for a photo. (Loveliest Lori, if you think this looks like it’s already been eaten once, feel free to keep that to yourself this time. Thanks!)

Jen & Vic’s Taco Salad

• Romaine lettuce
• Thousand island dressing
• Browned, seasoned ground beef—cooled (we like it super-spicy)
• Shredded cheddar-jack cheese
• Kidney beans
• Sliced black olives
• Chopped avocado or guacamole
• Salsa or pico de gallo
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips

Toss lettuce with dressing, then add and toss the rest of the ingredients. Add the chips just before serving.