Simple Taco Salad

This dish I consider my own because of the way I prepare it. The ingredients are fairly standard, though I suppose this combination of them might be unique. It can be made without meat and it would taste just as good, I'm sure. And here's a secret: I never use ground beef (allergies). Ground turkey tastes infinitely better to me and it's usually 95% fat free, so I highly suggest you try it.


Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey/beef
1 cup taco seasoning
3/4 cup water
2 cups smashed tortilla chips (a great way to use stale ones)
8 leaves of romaine lettuce (approx.)
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (I use jack/cheddar mix)
2 Roma tomatoes
1/3 cup diced olives
3 mini sweet peppers julienned
2 green onions
cayenne pepper, salsa, sour cream, guacamole (all optional, though I think unnecessary)

Chop up the vegetables and chips. You want the chip chunks to be about nickle-sized.

Brown your turkey/beef over medium-high heat until no longer pink. DRAIN EXCESS FAT. It tastes better and is better for you, though it makes it less authentic, haha. Sometimes, I like to add dried minced onions to the meat and mix it in. You can find dried minced onions in the seasoning section of grocery stores. Add taco seasoning and water, mix. Wait for it to boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer uncovered for 8-10 minutes.

While that is simmering, begin to assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine a layer of lettuce, green onions, and chips. At this point, you may want to place a light coat of cayenne or taco seasoning over it. Then, place another layer of the same ingredients on top of that one. Do this until there is no more lettuce, onions, or chips.

When the turkey/beef is done, use a slotted spoon or something like that, and scoop up the meat a little bit at a time and let the juice drip off just a bit. You want some of the juice but not too much, or else you end up with taco soup. Pile it on top of the lettuce, leaving a rim of lettuce/chip/onion mix around the edges (it makes it prettier and easier to stir later). Next, add the cheese to the top of the meat. Reason: you want the cheese to melt a bit. Then, add the tomatoes, peppers, and olives.

Give it a good stir, allowing the meat and junk to stay mostly to the top. Serve similar to a casserole, that way each person gets a good amount of meat and lettuce. I think the point of this dish is the meat, unless you're a vegetarian. In that case, you should toss it like a regular salad and it would be a good idea to use salsa as a dressing and taco seasoning as a garnish or something.

I love this dish. I've only made it about twice, but both times have been delightful. It's 9:15am and I want to make it now.