Vegetarian Cauliflower Rice Taco Salad

I have been eating mostly vegetarian for over a year now. I would say that I am vegetarian probably ninety percent of the time. I still use chicken stock in many of my soups. I occasionally dribble a little gravy over my mashed potatoes when I make a big Sunday dinner for the family. And, being a food blogger means that I taste all of the dishes that I make while testing recipes - meat or otherwise. But, I never really sit down and eat an actual "meat forward" meal very often. One thing I have missed terribly is traditional tacos, taco salads and burritos. That was until I started making tacos with cauliflower rice.

It changed my life. Seriously. I can enjoy tacos again ... tacos that actually taste as if regular seasoned ground beef is included. Like, cauliflower rice seasoned with taco seasoning is amazing, guys. And, it tastes like, well ... taco meat. I will admit I was hesitant even as it was cooked up and ready in the pan. When I tasted it, I thought that it tasted like cauliflower rice cooked up with taco seasoning. But, get it in a taco or taco salad with all of the fixings ... mind blown.

I feel like a whole new world opened up to me with this concept. Frozen cauliflower rice may scare some of you. Please don't let it. Even my ten-year old daughter who despises cooked cauliflower said that it felt as if she was eating regular taco meat. (That's huge.)

For this post, I've utilized the cauliflower rice taco "meat" in a taco salad. But, it works just as great in regular tacos or loaded burritos. When we tried it in tacos, we definitely agreed that the one notable difference between cauliflower rice versus ground beef is the lack of fat/grease. But, once sour cream and/or guacamole was added into the taco, that void was totally filled. So, I would recommend the inclusion of one or the other (or both).

Yields 4 servings.

Festive Farro Rainbow Taco Salad

If you're anything like me, taco salads are a favorite. The blending of simple ingredients into one salad that's loaded with spice, texture and freshness always seems to be a hit. In our house, we prefer our taco salads without meat. {This particular one could easily be adapted to include some grilled chicken or shrimp, however, if you desire.} I find that the farro is pretty hearty and actually mimics the texture somewhat of ground beef. I season it up simply in this recipe by blending it with fresh salsa, so it has a lot of flavor and a little kick. Building this salad using blue tortilla chips, tomatoes, corn, iceberg lettuce, sweet peppers and cheddar cheese drives home the rainbow theme and yields quite the pretty presentation.

Farro is a grain that is pretty easily found in most supermarkets these days. You could replace it with brown rice or quinoa if you'd like here, but I think you'll agree that the use of cooked farro is a great choice in taco salads.

This taco salad is hearty and filling enough to be a meal all on its own. And, it makes for a quick and easy-to-prepare weeknight dinner that is especially satisfying in the summer.

Serves 4.

Chili Lime Chicken Taco Salad

Summertime means lots of salads in the Joyously Domestic household. We eat salad quite regularly as our full meal when temps get up in the eighties and nineties this time of year. Some of our favorites are my Berry "Peachy Keen" Grilled Chicken Salad Bowl, my Easy Vegetarian Taco Salad, my Moroccan Quinoa and Bulgur Salad and my Mexicali Loaded Salad Bowl with Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing . I always buy a plethora of fresh produce each week and like to keep the ingredients for many of my go-to salads on hand. So, it's a breeze to whip up quick, light meals for us on busy weeknights ... or when we're being lazy on the weekends and don't want to put much effort into dinner.

This particular salad includes some killer grilled chicken that has real amped up flavor. I like that a couple of chicken breasts stretch to feed several people, so it's a pretty inexpensive salad to toss together. For this salad, I like old-school iceberg lettuce for the base. I, then, arrange the taco salad toppings that my family prefers on top. We serve this with fresh-cut avocado, lots of sour cream and hot sauce alongside. And, don't forget the nacho, corn or tortilla chips ... they are the cat's meow, so-to-speak, crushed atop the salad at time of service.

Simple. Flavorful. Inexpensive. A perfectly refreshing, healthful and bountiful salad for those nights when you don't want anything too heavy for dinner, yet something delicious and satisfying is in order.

Easy Vegetarian Taco Salad

Simple meals are a lifesaver on busy days in our house. With a hubby gone for his job about seventy hours a week right now, my blogging work and the kids' extra-curricular activities, things can get pretty chaotic. Still, we try to sit down as often as possible - around the table - to enjoy a meal together. This Vegetarian Taco Salad is often a go-to for us. I can, literally, whip it up in like, fifteen minutes (or less) and it's filling enough to satisfy my crew. We are big on loaded salads and loaded rice/grain bowls in our house. They just seem to come together quickly and simply when life gets crazy. (Some other favorites? This ONE and this ONE.)

Recently, our seventeen-year old daughter had her first prom. What a fun experience. As her mom, it was so cool for me to help her find just the right dress, assist in planning her hair-do, help hunt for the perfect pair of shoes and spend the day helping her get ready for the big night. This salad is what the rest of the family had for dinner after she headed out the door that evening. (Ya know, once the whirlwind of craziness died down and this mom could catch her breath a bit.)

I tend to keep the ingredients for this salad on hand so that I can toss this together when I'm short on time or things are hectic. Since we are huge fans of Mexican food, taco salads go over well. I do sometimes include some grilled chicken, but more often than not, I serve this vegetarian-style. A drained can of chili beans lends some spice and protein here. And, I usually keep cooked rice in the freezer just for dishes such as this one. I just season it up a bit with some ground cumin and a little salt for this salad. And, yes, I know ... nacho cheese chips. A somewhat unhealthy-ish inclusion to an otherwise healthful salad I suppose. But, golly dang .. they kind of "make" the salad if you ask me. So, I would probably just go ahead and throw them in there if I were you. Afterall, Y.O.L.O! (Shhhh! Don't tell my kids I just typed that. I embarrass them enough and I'm told that Y.O.L.O is so like, three years ago or something.)