Taco Salad

Taco salad (without the taco chips) is a great phase 1 meal. Yes, the chips are really what makes it so yummy, but its still good without. On occasions when I'm not being so strict, however, you bet they are thrown back in!

Here is one version of a simple taco salad recipe. I deleted the taco chips part. The recipe and picture came from allrecipes.com.

Enjoy!

1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup salsa
1 (15.25 ounce) can kidney beans
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Optional garnish: sour cream, chopped tomato, and additional salsa

Greek Salad

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Picture found here.

This is a really fresh and delicious salad, perfect for summertime! There are a lot of variations of this salad, but this is my mom's recipe, so you know it's my favorite!

3 medium tomatoes
1 cup cucumber
3/4 cup green pepper
3/4 cup red pepper
3/4 cup feta cheese (crumbled)
olives - as many as you feel comfortable with :)
3/4 cup Greek Salad Dressing

Chop the vegetables. Combine in a large bowl. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.

For those of you who would rather make your own dressing, here is a 4.5 star recipe from allrecipes.com:

1 1/2 quarts olive oil
1/3 cup garlic powder
1/3 cup dried oregano
1/3 cup dried basil
1/4 cup pepper
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
2 quarts red wine vinegar

In a very large container, mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon-style mustard. Pour in the vinegar, and mix vigorously until well blended. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

How do you like your Greek Salad? Do you have a preference of dressing?