Ground Turkey and Fresh Veggie Taco Salad

Lately we have been obsessed with Mexican food. I am not talking the greasy spoon, Americanized Mexican, I am talking fresh, whole food ingredients, made with real authentic recipes passed down through families. Ah yes. We have found a few great restaurants in our new area, but when we can’t make it out on the town we are inspired to throw together an eclectic mix of our own.

Although nothing super fancy, as we like to keep most week night dinners very un-fancy, I give you, this fresh, fast, and simple taco salad. This is how we would typically make our homemade nachos, but replacing the chips with spinach. I only miss the crunch of the chips a tincy bit, but if you are Jonesin’ for some crunch, you could always add some crumbled stone ground tortilla chips over top if you like.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp oil (I use coconut)
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 16 oz ground turkey breast
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped, plus some for garnish
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 16 oz bags of pre-washed baby spinach
• 15 oz can corn, drained (or you can use fresh if you have it on hand)
• 15 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed, and air dried
• 1 small avocado, cubed
• medium tomato, finely chopped
• 4 oz shredded low-fat cheddar
• 0% Fage Greek yogurt
• green onion, diced
• salsa (your favorite brand)

Directions

Heat a medium size skillet to medium-low and add oil. Once hot, add onion and garlic, and a little salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Add ground turkey and spices. Break apart and stir as it browns. Once cooked through, toss in the chopped cilantro, and set aside.

Start assembling salad. First lay a bed of spinach. Then add 1/4 of the ground turkey mixture. Next add other toppings to your liking. I add the following:

• 3 tbsp corn
• 3 tbsp black beans
• 1/4 of the small avocado
• 3 tbsp tomato
• 1 oz shredded cheddar
• 3 tbsp salsa, your favorite kind
• 2 tbsp Fage Greek yogurt (I use this in place of sour cream… more protein)
• sprinkle of green onion
• cilantro garnish

…If you are looking to splurge, add a fresh margarita (I am not talking from the bottled mix crap here kids…topped off with a little Grand Mariner), WITH salt, and a crumble of tortilla chips on top. Enjoy!!!

Nutritional Info

4 servings = per serving (based on my version above, minus the margarita)

Calories: 341
Fat: 9 g
Carbs: 24 g
Protein: 44 g