CEiMB - Beef Taco Salad with Chunky Tomato Dressing

Hostess for the week - Peggy of Pantryrevisited.blogspot.com!  That would be me of course.

It is always a treat to get to host one of the food groups.  It is not an easy task.   Not for me at least.  I analyze it to death.  How easy will it be to make on a work night?  How accessible are the ingredients to the majority?  How good will it taste?  I figured we would all be turkeed out (is turkeed a word) after Thanksgiving and might like a welcome change of just a good, taco salad. 

I got some vine ripened tomatoes at the store.  However, they were not as firm as I would have liked. 

They did not dice easily.

The only change I made to the recipe was I used bottled lime juice instead of fresh.

The finished product:

My rating.  We thought this was good, but nothing spectacular.  Easy to make, easy on the budget, and tasty.  Definitely worth trying.  Thank you all for cooking with me this week!!  Thank you Ellie for great, healthy recipes!

Now all of you get out there and get that shopping done!  I mean it.  Finish up.  Christmas is NEXT week!!!!!  Hope you are all having a fun holiday so far.

The recipe:
For the Meat:


3/4 pound lean ground beef (90 percent lean or higher)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more to taste
1/3 cup water

For the dressing:
4 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


For the salad:
2 hearts romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup grated Cheddar
2 ounces baked corn tortilla chips (about 32 chips)


Directions
To prepare the meat, heat a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat up with the spoon. Add the garlic and beans and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the chili powder, cayenne and water and stir until well combined and some but not all of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly. Meat mixture may be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
To make the tomato dressing, in a medium bowl, combine tomatoes (with their juices), oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Dressing may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Place 2 cups of lettuce on each plate or in a lunch container. Top each serving with 1 cup of the beef mixture then sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese. If making to-go, pack 3/4 cup of the tomato mixture in a separate sealable container and put about 8 chips in a separate bag. Right before eating, pour a portion of the tomato mixture with the liquid on top of each salad, and crush tortilla chips on top.