Healthy Taco-Ish Salad

By Jessica Lee

There’s no shortage of Tex Mex food in Austin. And while I love it (chips and queso are my weakness), sometimes I want something a little more on the healthy side. 

That’s where this salad comes in. It’s filled to the brim with fresh vegetables, yet it still satisfies those inevitable Tex Mex cravings. The quinoa makes it surprisingly filling, and the dressing is divine. If you happen to have leftovers of the dressing (which I doubt you will), save it for dipping raw vegetables into. Plus, the salad saves really well, so you could easily meal prep it for lunches throughout the week!

If you want to add some more protein to the mix, feel free to add in black beans, chicken, carnitas or steak. I went the vegan route here, but queso fresco would be a lovely addition as well.

Taco-ish Salad

Makes 2 servings

For the salad:

1 cup quinoa

1 tbsp cumin

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 bell pepper, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 radishes, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

Hot sauce (optional) 

For the dressing:

1 avocado

½ jalapeno, seed removed

2 limes, juiced

½ cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Once cooked, stir in cumin.

2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare your dressing. In a blender, combine avocado, jalapeno, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper, to taste. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a splash of water to thin it out.

3. Heat a grill pan with olive oil. Cook sliced bell peppers until char begins to appear, about 5 minutes. 

4. Place ½ cup cooked quinoa in each bowl. Divide romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, radish and avocado between the two bowls. Top with dressing and hot sauce, if desired.

Enjoy! And check out more yummy recipes below!