Fiesta Salad

I confess, it's pretty much a taco salad, but that just sounds so "Old El Paso", you know? "Fiesta Salad", on the other hand, sounds very...festive. This dinner salad is not just colourful, it's also packed with nutrients and protein and all sorts of good-for-you stuff. I like a big portion for dinner, and then usually have a half-portion for next day's lunch.

Fiesta Salad

300g lean ground turkey
4 large mushrooms,chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 C mixed beans (canned or cooked)
1/2 C corn kernels
assorted hot sauces, to taste

In a large non-stick frying pan or wok,on high heat, begin to brown the turkey, breaking up into small bits as you go. After 2 minutes or so, add in the onion, mushrooms, red pepper, and spices, and continue to cook while stirring constantly. When the meat is cooked through and the veggies are soft, add in the beans and corn. Add hot sauces to taste...I love hot sauce so usally have 5 or 6 different kinds on hand and just make a big ole hot sauce cocktail in there. Keep in mind that the heat level is higher when you first put in the hot sauce, so don't panic if you make it too hot...it will cool off a bit as the mixture cooks and then cools.

This mixture can be used for three dinner salads, or two dinner salads and two half-portion lunches,or whatever combination you like. Sometimes i only divide it into two if I am extra-hungry.

Garnishes: for each salad, shred three large lettuce leaves for a bed of greens,then lay in the meat/ veggie mixture and top with 1/4C plainyogurt, 1/4C salsa, and 30g gated low-fat cheddar. Accompany with a portion (50g) of baked tortilla chips (I like Guiltless Gourmet chili lime or Tostitos scoops) and dig in! Yum!

Nutritional Values: Using 1/3 of the meat/veggie mixture and the garnishes described above, each portion comes to 619 calories, 16.9g of fat, 43.8g protein, 75g carbs, 11g fibre, and 1000mg sodium. A half-portion for lunch, just in case you hate math, is 310 calories, 8.5g fat, 21.9g protein, 37.5g carbs, 5.5g protein, and 500mg sodium.