Taco Salad: My Comfort Food

When I was in college, my roommate and I would cure our Sunday morning hangovers by going to El Maguey's, a nearby Mexican chain restaurant, for their Sunday specials.  I ordered Taco Salad every time "with beans instead of meat, no sour cream, cheese sauce on the side, and a side plate of extra lettuce."  I'm not picky at all, obviously.

Now that I don't have the waistline or the metabolism that I had in college, I like making a healthier version at home.  I asked for, and received, taco salad baking pans, for my birthday, and they look something like these.  I left those pans in Houston, but when I got back to Boston I realized that the pans are unnecessary.  You can turn a bowl upside down, spray it with a little Pam, put the tortilla over it, and then bake it for 8 to 10 minutes at 375°.

While the shell is baking, I prepare my ingredients, which always include iceberg lettuce and black beans (Bush's black beans are my favorite).  Other ingredients I use, in different combinations, are: avocado; cheese; tomatoes; pico de gallo; cilantro; and sautéed mushrooms, onions, or peppers.

Even though the taco salad bowl makes a very pretty presentation, my favorite part is destroying it and mixing everything up.  It always ends up looking like this:

If I run out of tortillas, or I'm just not in the mood for one, I sometimes make the salad with brown rice instead of the tortilla.  Lettuce and brown rice is actually a delicious combination that I fell in love with at a small cafe in Buenos Aires.  There really are not enough salads out there that have rice in them.

Mustard Cannellini Spread

I like mustard but find it overpowering when I put it on sandwiches. I created this spread to go on sandwiches or a piece of toast in the morning instead of the cream cheese I used to use before I began eating vegan at home. The cannellini beans make the dip creamy, and the mustard flavor is light but gives it just the right amount of kick for me. I apologize for the ugly picture- I made this dip at 1 AM and didn't want to put the extra effort into it!

Approximate nutrition facts for this dip are below. They are based on calculations from the LoseIt! iPhone application.

Mustard Cannellini Spread
Makes about 1 cup, eight 1-ounce servings

• One 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• white pepper, to taste

Combine the first four ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add white pepper to taste.

Per 1-ounce serving: 71 calories, 3.9 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 25.6 mg sodium, 6.8 g carbohydrates, 1.9 g fiber, 2.3 g protein

Black Beans, Banana, and Quinoa

I admit I'm a bad vegetarian in that I eat very little fruit. You'll never find me snacking on an apple or having a banana with breakfast. When I eat fruit it's mixed into a salad or a stir-fry. I made this dish in an attempt to get myself to eat more fruit, and I think it worked because this is DELICIOUS and I will be making it OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Black Beans, Banana, and Quinoa

Makes 2 servings

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 serrano chili, minced
• 1 cup canned black beans with liquid
• 2 medium bananas, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced 1/4"
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt, to taste

Combine the quinoa, water, cumin, and paprika in a pan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid, about 20 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Sauté the chili in the olive oil for about a minute, then add the black beans, quinoa, and bananas. Continue to cook until all ingredients are heated through, making sure not to let the bananas get mushy. Add the salt to taste (it might not be necessary, depending on the canned beans you use), then add the cilantro into the mixture. Plate it, serve it, devour it!