I think sometimes people think all vegetarians eat is salads, but in the last 5+ years of being a vegetarian I’ve rarely eaten salads (outside of the restaurants where it’s the only option for vegetarians).

Lately, however, we’ve been on a salad kick. My husband makes amazing salads – so he’s been spearheading the movement in our house. But, this weekend, I whipped up a taco salad for us and it was really tasty. Because of the black beans and sauteed veggies, it was also a little bit more filling.

Greens (I used a bag of mixed lettuce)
Tomato, diced

2 Bell peppers, sliced

1 Onion, sliced
1 Can black beans*
taco seasoning, to taste
Ranch dressing, if desired
Avacado, if desired
Sour cream or greek yogurt, if desired
Olive Oil
1 tortilla

Turn oven to broil, cut tortilla into strips. Lightly grease cookie sheets and place tortilla strips on the cookie sheet – make sure they’re not touching. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes. Flip and put back in for 2-3 more minutes. Watch carefully – they’ll burn quickly! You can add salt to taste.

In the meantime, saute onions until translucent. Add peppers and can of drained black beans. Add taco seasoning and a bit of water if you need it (depending on what your taco seasoning calls for). Continue to cook until heated through. I like my peppers to have a bit of a crunch – if you don’t, continuing heating until soft. Set aside.

To assemble the salad. Place lettuce on the plate. Top with black bean mixture, tortilla strips, and other toppings of your choice. We never use sour cream anymore, finding greek yogurt makes a great substitute.