Greetings fellow culinary enthusiasts! As suggested by the Dolphin editor, I have been working my way through a Community Service Club cookbook that was published nearly twenty years ago. I have featured two recipes from the appetizer section and am now in the soup, salad and sauces section. Taco salad is a good choice because it’s a salad that can also be served as an entrée. It was always my Grandma Ima’s signature covered dish for church suppers and family gatherings. This salad is popular with the crowd but requires some last minute preparation and leftovers, if any, don’t keep well. I will offer this recipe as originally submitted and suggest some alternatives to decrease preparation time, increase nutritional value and longevity in the refrigerator for any leftover.
TACO SALAD
This recipe was submitted by Doris Grimes. Doris writes that you should choose 4 cups of your favorite green salad, Catalina or Wish-Bone dressing, 1 can of jalapeno pinto beans, grated cheese and small-sized corn chips. Toss your favorite green salad with the dressing and use about half to layer a dish. Drain the canned beans and spread over the greens. Add a layer of grated cheese, top with remaining greens and then add an additional layer of grated cheese. The corn chips should be slightly crushed and added on top of the salad just before serving. This sounds delicious but the last minute corn chip addition can be problematic. It may be inconvenient once your dish has arrived at its destination and this addition will most likely result in a salad on a time clock. The corn chips will become soggy very soon making it undesirable to late comers and leftovers are certainly not an option. I would suggest serving the chips on the side to let people add onto single portions. Another suggestion to corn chips might be to make your own baked corn tortilla strips. You could add chili powder or other seasonings to them.
Other ideas to increase the longevity of your salad include the absence of salad dressing. You could put the bottle of dressing on the side or not offer it at all. I find that seasoning my salad greens with lime salt is quite delicious. Lime salt can be found in a cute little bottle in the beer section of your grocery store. Also use drained and rinsed beans to decrease sogginess. For added nutritional value you can add your favorite vegetables or even meat like seasoned ground turkey. I would not recommend hamburger meat because it will make your salad greasy. I hope this recipe makes you a hit at the next dinner social and that you will be forever known as the person that brings that awesome Taco Salad. Thank you to Doris and her family for this recipe. Enjoy!
