Vegetarian Taco Salad

It’s only a few days before the official “hello” to summer and I’ve been on a bit of a health kick. Before you roll your eyes at me, I’m not saying I don’t eat tacos or pasta I mean who can stop eating that!? but I’ve been trying to cook less meat and incorporate more vegetables and salads into mine and Texans diet.

Of course, I love creating ways to eat vegetarian food. In today’s world, there is no shortage of delicious vegetarian items at your fingertips. And, with those,  I have made vegetarian dishes that have fooled the biggest meat eaters.

So when I heard from a fellow food & lifestyle blogger about a brand that makes vegetarian products taste so much like meat that it’s hard to tell the difference, I quickly ran to the grocery store to find it.

It’s name: Gardein.  Founded 25 years ago by a Canadian Chef who’s vision was to create healthy fast food with the power of vegetables. Each recipe is personally crafted to deliver the best taste, quality, and texture most like meat.

Seriously, the best non-meat meat I’ve ever had.

From wings, to chicken, to their spicy black bean patties, all are packed full of flavor and make it much easier to go vegetarian. You can’t even tell it’s not chicken by looking at it. It’s that good.

Having such a tasty product (no, this is not sponsored) made me want to share one of my favorite recipes; Vegetarian Taco Salad.  Not only does it taste like you’re eating a million delicious calories (even though 1 cup of their beefless ground beef is 150 calories), it is super quick to make.  I mean, it takes me literally 10-15 minutes to fix it up.

Healthy: Check

Quick and Easy: Check

Since Texan and I have been working out and taking hot yoga classes, I find this a great option for a quick dinner after a late night class. Exhausted, I simply pull out a bag of beefless ground from the freezer, cook it up with some onion and spices,  dice up some veggies, and top it off with some fat free sour cream.  It’s that easy.

The bonus –  the recipe is for 4, so we have extra to eat the next day for lunch. As I’m sure you know, salad is typically not good to eat the next day since dressing makes the salad soggy but this one is topped with sour cream afterwards and the lime juice helps preserve the lettuce for the next day.  #winning

You can opt to use your own favorite veggie ground beef if you can’t find it (you can also buy Gardein on Amazon if you don’t have it at your local grocery store) and can also add additional toppings like black beans or corn if you need some more stuff in it; or, like Texan, you don’t like tomatoes.

It’s filling, low on calories, and completely vegetarian!

Hope you enjoy!

Print Recipe
Vegetarian Taco Salad
Servings
people
Ingredients
Servings
people
Ingredients

 

Directions:

In a Medium sized pan with higher sides on medium heat, add grapeseed oil, diced white onion, cumin, tex mex seasoning, and ancho chili powder. Cook until onion is soft and translucent in color (about 10 minutes). Ensure spices are nicely cooked.

Add Gardein Beefless Ground and mix until well combined with spices and onion. Seasonal with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Add Broth and hot sauce and cook until there is no added liquid and beefless ground is hot.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (about 5 to 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, toss lime juice with chopped lettuce until evenly incorporated.  Then, divide equally, the chopped lettuce, red cabbage,  diced tomato, red onion, and avocado into four serving bowls (pick a larger bowl as it ends up being a mountain of goodness). Divide  the cooked beefless ground over top.  Dollop 1.5 tablespoons of sour cream and garnish with a feta cheese, green onion, tortilla chips and a lime wedge.

Once served, crumble up the chips and mix it all up! Then Enjoy!

Note- Measurements are a guideline, if you want more avocado and tortilla chips, go right ahead. More cheese? get at it!  You wont go wrong.