Monday, June 27, 2011

Easy summer fare for the lunch or dinner table . . .

During the summer months, it is nice to have something sort of warm but still not a hot meal that only add to the outside temperatures. Taco Salad always seems to be a good answer and you can add or substract ingredients according to your own tastes.

Taco Salad (serves 4)

1/2 pound ground beef (depends on how many you want to serve)
Chili flakes
Cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
Corn or Tortilla chips
1/2 head lettuce
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 green Bell Pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup favorite salsa
Black olives, to taste, sliced

Brown the beef  over medium heat, stirring to break the meat up into small pieces. Season with the listed spices. Taste for heat and add as desired. Drain the grease.

Divide the chips into four bowls. Add 1/4 of the lettuce to the bowls and top each with 1/4 of the meat, tomato, green pepper, onion, salsa, and sliced olives. Serve!

If you are having a buffet or picnic-style event, you can put out the cooked meat with the condiments and let your guests build their own salad.

Sometimes, I like to add in some pork sausage to the ground beef for a different slant on the flavors. Some shredded cheese would be good, too.

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