Taco Tuesday Salad

My husband has been at it for his second week of eating Paleo. I haven’t researched this intensely but from what I’ve gathered, haha, it’s a hunter-gatherer diet, which excludes processed foods and carbs and includes proteins, veggies and some fruits. I’ve always teased my husband by saying that he takes his manliness to the next level, sometimes being a bit of a savage, picking up food right off the grill and eating with his bare hands. He decided to start this new adventure with one of our second sons who wants to get leaner. My hubby is fit already and is active daily. He’s not one to eat junk anyway but he’s committed to doing this.

I’m not a huge “diet” person because usually diets are prohibitive and unsustainable over the long haul. I also lack the self control and my inner rebel appears and gets pissed off when I say, nope, can’t have that. Over the years, I’ve found what works best for me and that evolves as I learn. I’m flexible and open to change and the occasional brownie. I like the fact that the Paleo diet omits processed junk. That’s already part of my belief system, to eliminate as much of the GMO’s and fake Franken foods as possible. I have eliminated most meat for years now and stick to lean poultry and fish. I’ve also found that there are some great ways to incorporate proteins into our diets without having to consume meat. Also, the mainstream information that we’ve been hammered with is skewed and subjective on how much protein the body needs anyway. This change hasn’t been huge because we’re already not consumers of most dairy and try to stock our house with whole foods.

Here’s one of my fave warm weather recipes that worked perfectly within my hubby’s new eating regimen. My sons love this layered yumminess and that we set out a big buffet of ingredients and we all make our own bowl/salad masterpiece.

My oldest loves going to Chipotle and he thought it was better than the bowls that he gets. I don’t know about you but I love layering the flavors and playing with my food to get a perfect bite.  

Ingredients: Use organic/local produce/products as much as possible

·      Grilled marinated chicken (could easily sub for crumbled organic soyrizo or omit altogether)

·      Cooked quinoa

·      1 can of black beans (seasoned with garlic, onion powder, a pinch of salt and warmed on the stove)

·      Fresh, crisp lettuce (romaine or any leafy greens)

·      Cucumbers (small dice)

·      Red peppers (sliced or chopped)

·      Fresh salsa (diced tomatoes from the vine, finely diced green onions and cilantro from my herb garden)

·      Sliced ripe avocados

·      Optional toppings (freshly grated cheese, a dollop of greek yogurt, a generous dollop of Bitchin’ Sauce)

* Bitchin’ Sauce is locally made in Carlsbad, CA and is completely vegan, non GMO and sold at the farmer’s market and at Sprout’s Market. This is our go-to dip for chips or veggies, a spread for sammies, wraps or burgers and can be easily made into a dressing by adding some lemon to thin it out.

Dressing Recipe: I put all the ingredients into a little Magic Bullet blender and let it do the dirty work. Whisk away if you want it will combine in no time.

·      ACV Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar (1 part)

·      3 parts Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·      a  touch of local honey to taste

·      a pinch of sea salt

·      a squeeze of lime or lemon

***Rule of thumb for dressings, I like a mellow dressing so I cut the acidity by using 1 part acid to 3 parts oil. Some like my hubby like it a little more acidic so that can be adjusted to taste.

• To put it together, I tossed the lettuce, cucumbers, peppers together in a salad bowl keeping the wet ingredients separate just in case there were any leftovers for lunch they wouldn’t get all mushy. I laid out the buffet of salsa, sliced avos, grated cheese, Greek yogurt, Bitchin’ Sauce, warm quinoa, black beans next to the greens. I dressed the green salad in batches to prevent wilting.
• To layer, we started with a big, colorful bed of green salad as the base. Added some quinoa and black beans. Followed by toppings.

Served with organic blue corn tortilla chips. (Frank passed on those)

Yummy! Easy to prep and chop the fresh ingredients, quinoa cooks in 20, beans have to be seasoned and warmed on the stove, chicken grilled by my BBQ master, done. Fresh and healthy dinner in no time. Bellies were full and satisfied.