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.

Salsa Verde White Chicken Enchiladas

 

I shared with you my Tomatillo and Poblano Salsa Verde recipe yesterday.  I've been dying to use it in the cream sauce of chicken enchiladas. 

Let me share with you just how amazing it was!  I've made a lot of versions of enchiladas throughout the years.  I think this one "took the cake."  I've made this type of cream sauce with canned green chiles before, but this version using my homemade green salsa is beyond anything that I've made like this in the past.  To say that I am in love with these enchiladas is quite the understatement.

(I, literally, could have stood at the stove eating spoonful after spoonful of this sauce all on its own before ever even pouring it over the tortillas.)

These babies will knock your socks off.  (Or, your flip flops if your weather has heated up like mine and socks have been tucked away for the summer).

My sister, her sweetie and my little nephew came for dinner.  We scarfed down these enchiladas with total abandonment.  I served shredded lettuce, diced avocado, lime wedges, tomatoes, red onion slices, black olives, sour cream and extra Tomatillo and Poblano Salsa Verde on the side to be used as toppings.  We barely touched the accompaniments ... the enchiladas were to die for all on their own!

If you're not up for making the homemade version of the salsa, a store-bought green salsa will work.  But, I promise you that going the extra mile to make it homemade is beyond worth it.  The salsa can be made (and is even better) 1 - 3 days in advance.

Yields 10 enchiladas.