Taco Salad with Chickpea ‘Beef’

I should probably be sharing a Hawaiian recipe today to keep up with the recent theme around here, but my craving for Mexican has officially returned.

Okay, who am I kidding, it never left.

I’m a fan, y’all. I’m also a fan of meals that don’t leave me standing in a hot kitchen for hours. Enter: salad. Now I know some salads might be boring but this taco salad is anything but.

Mostly because I got a little too excited and topped it with all.the.things. To start, there’s a mixture of black beans, diced tomato, bell pepper, corn, green onion, cilantro and fresh lime juice.

Then for protein, there’s vegan chickpea taco ‘beef’ from mashed chickpeas, walnuts, and taco seasoning. {credit to Andrea’s Collard Wraps for the inspiration} It would make a great filling for tacos too!

Then my favorite part: the crunchy sea salted tortilla strips. Not only do they give the salad an awesome texture but they also smell like heaven coming out of the oven. Scrum-diddly-umptious.

Top all of that with creamy avocado and a dressing made from ranch and spicy salsa, and you’ve got yourself a party on the buds!

Like, taste buds. Like…fiesta in your mouth? Just want to make sure we’re all on the same page.

Alright friends, I’m keepin’ it short and sweet so I can get in bed and catch up on my sleep! All of these fiestas can make a girl tired.

Have a great weekend!

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 5 large salads

Ingredients

2 heads lettuce, washed and chopped (I used one romaine and one green lettuce)

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen and defrosted

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, diced

6 green onions, diced

1 cup fresh cilantro, minced

juice of 2 limes

2 avocados, diced

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup walnuts

6 tablespoons taco seasoning 1/2 cup water

10 corn tortillas

high heat oil or cooking spray

sea salt

8 ounces of your favorite salsa

8 ounces ranch dressing {this brand is vegan}

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place corn tortillas on a surface for cutting and slice them into 1/4 inch pieces, then cut them in half in the opposite direction. Lightly coat with oil or cooking spray, sprinkle wuth sea salt, and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring them around half way through. Remove from the oven and set aside, then reduce the heat to 400°F.
3. Prepare the chickpea ‘beef’ by placing the walnuts and the chickpeas into a food processor along with taco seasoning that has been mixed with water. Pulse until a chunky mixture is formed, being careful not to puree it.
4. Spread the mixture onto parchment paper, place onto a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, stirring half way through. The mixture should be slightly dried out so that it forms bigger crumbles.
5. While the ‘beef’ is in the oven, prepare the salads by layering lettuce, mixed veggies, tortilla strips and avocado.
6. To make the dressing, combine the salsa and ranch dressing in a bowl and stir until mixed together. Top the salads with cooked ‘beef’ and dressing and serve!

Notes

*I made a large amount to have leftovers for the week. Simply half the recipe if you prefer less.