Fresh Taco Salad with Creamy Avocado-Lime Dressing

Ingredients for Fresh Taco Salad with Creamy Avocado-Lime Dressing

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

• 1 1/2 teaspoons chilli powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 120ml quinoa, rinsed

• 240ml water

• 1 (425g) can black beans, rinsed and drained, or 230g cooked black beans

• 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 3 corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch-long, 1/4-inch-wide strips

• Fine sea salt

• 60ml lime juice (from about 2 limes)

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon water

• 1/2 medium-large avocado, pitted

• 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh coriander (some stems are okay)

• 1 small-medium jalapeño, seeded, deribbed, and roughly chopped

• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

• 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt

• 1 small head cos lettuce, chopped (or 140g chopped cos)

• 3 cups packed baby rocket (about 90g )

• 150g thinly sliced grape or cherry tomatoes

• 50g thinly sliced and roughly chopped radishes (3 to 4), or chopped red onion

• 40g crumbled feta cheese (about 60g )

• 1/2 medium-large avocado

In a medium saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, chilli powder, and cumin. Cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the rinsed quinoa and water, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes (the quinoa might not be fluffy yet, but don’t worry).

Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Then, uncover and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Gently stir in the black beans and salt. Season to taste with pepper and additional salt, if necessary. Cover and set aside for a couple of minutes to warm up the beans.

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Toss in the tortilla strips, sprinkle them with salt, and stir. Cook until the strips are crispy and turning golden, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the tortilla strips on a plate covered with a piece of paper towel.

In a small food processor or blender, combine the lime juice, olive oil, and water. Using a spoon, scoop in the half avocado and add the coriander, jalapeño, garlic, and salt. Process until the dressing is nice and smooth. The dressing should be zippy, but if it’s unpleasantly tart or difficult to blend, dilute it with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and blend again.

Combine the cos and rocket in a large bowl. Wait to dress the salad until you are ready to serve, as the greens wilt fairly quickly once dressed. (If you won’t be consuming all 4 servings of this salad right away, portion off the greens you’d like to save for later, and dress only the greens you intend to eat now.)

When you’re ready, drizzle the mixture with just enough dressing to lightly coat the greens (you might have extra). Toss until the dressing is evenly distributed.

Arrange the dressed greens in 4 individual salad bowls (or dinner plates, if your bowls are on the small side). Top each salad with taco filling, tomatoes, radishes, crispy tortilla strips, and feta. Slice the remaining avocado half into long strips and place a couple of strips on each salad. Serve immediately.

If you have leftover dressing, press plastic wrap against the surface to prevent browning and store it in the refrigerator for later. Leftover tortilla strips tend to become unpalatably tough within a couple of hours, so you might want to skip those and add a few crushed tortilla crisps to leftovers.

Disclaimer

While every effort has been made to ensure the information is accurate and up to date, individual needs may vary and dietary requirements can differ based on personal health conditions. Always check food labels and allergen information before preparing or consuming any recipe. If you have specific health concerns, allergies, intolerances, or are following a medically prescribed diet, seek advice from your GP, pharmacist, or a registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet or lifestyle.