Oh bloody hell!, I told my niece after told me she was in the mood for tacos again. (What is it with kids and tacos?)
And then I realized that our Harry Potter movie marathon had gone on for far too long, as evidenced by me using Ron’s catch phrase again.
(Side Note: I’m not quite sure of the exact vernacular meaning of bloody hell, but gosh that phrase is catchy! Can anyone shed some light on what it actually means?)
I was all but taco-ed out, so I decided to put a new spin on things; taco salad, but served wedge-style (like blue cheese wedge salad) instead of in a fried taco shell.
The meat mixture is full of veggies, but if you cut them small enough, I bet even the pickiest of eaters won’t waste time picking them out. This meal is a fun one to serve with a topping bar: avocado, olives, salsa, and sliced scallions are a few goodies to keep it paleo, but of course you could also go with shredded cheese, sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips. And a drizzle of Ranch for the kiddos is always a hit.
So, three cheers for reinventing a classic favorite and keeping everyone happy with a fresh new spin on taco night!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 medium bell peppers (any color), seeded and diced
- 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup tomato salsa (homemade or store-bought), plus more for serving if desired
- 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (see Note below)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (see Note below)
- 2 large heads Iceberg lettuce, outer leaves removed if wilted and each head cut in quarters
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, onion, bell pepper, carrot, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf, and cook (covered) until the meat is browned and the vegetables are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the salsa, Worcestershire sauce, nutritional yeast, and cook (uncovered) 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- To serve, put 2 wedges of lettuce (½ head total) onto a plate and top with the meat mixture. Serve with additional salsa on the side if desired.
Nutritional Yeast: There is much debate as to whether this product is paleo, so use it at your own discretion if you follow a strict paleo lifestyle. It is highly nutritional; it is high in protein, high in fiber, and adds a nice dose of B vitamins, among other things. I use it in this recipe to add a slightly cheesy, nutty flavor.
Betsy says
Never mind the kiddos! I want to try this tomorrow!
Andrea says
Oh Faith, I miss our long talks about "Friends"...OMG it's streaming on my 65" now, the one when Richard visits Monica @ work to declares his love for her after she was engaged(ish) to Chandler! Pretty funny stuff.Um, back to food glorious food, these tacos sans the carbs R perfect! I'm pretty much down for shunning all things bad unless my alter ego comes out...then it's a free for all! Or as we call it around here..."Things That Go Bump in the Night"...bloody hell(see how I tied that in?)what is all that, well it's NOT tall skinny I'm a health nut me?...it's BAD girl me, half asleep, eating EVERYTHING you could dream of in/under/on top of ice cream...just go with it! YUP, there & there & THERE...I have woken up with brownie chunks stuck to my everything(800 thread ct sheets, in my hair), not pretty...one time "they" said I made "bacon" I don't EVER eat the "B" word...no judgement to those of you that do!It's so so sad...then I spend a month eating a carrot stick & drinking hemp, protein /fiber(that stuff is nasty)um, payback is a large female dog! OK, I've been using "bloody" as well, but haven't seen those movies,not on my bucket list yet, just attempting to clean up my potty mouth! ooppssiiee...and I was raised in Europe, went to British/American Schools,so huge English slang/ thing going on in the early years. Daddy was a diplomat, so yup a rather unusual upbringing. Ok, girlie it's late...TTFN, you're amazing, xo Andrea
cheri says
Your presentation is wonderful, very clever!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
This looks amazing!!!!
Julia says
I love this!! It's a taco salad wedge! If I were your niece, I'd be requesting these all the time, too. :D
Erica says
Now thats a taco salad! And who doesn't love the wedge?