black bean taco salad review

[pmmahan]

I wasn't sure if anyone had posted this, but I wanted to rave about the black bean taco salad in the July issue. It was fantastic! The dressing was so tasty (although I would recommend doubling it! - little cheat!) and the salad itself was more filling than I thought. I reserved the dressing and my fiancee and i took some for lunch the next day. Try this recipe! you will love it, and in fact, I am making it again tonight.

[kentgirl]

I agree with you wholeheartedly about this recipe. I've made it several times, and even took it to a potluck once. Got rave reviews! The dressing is wonderful! I left the chicken out of the recipe once, and think I almost prefer it that way. It is great as a side dish, but in my house, there is no way it can ever be considered a main dish. My husband and two teenage sons would think differently!!

[Jeanne G]

I missed the July issue and when I went to Cooking Light's webpage I was unable to pull up the recipe. I tried numerous variations in the recipe finder. Care to share the recipe? It sounds delicious. I love black beans and I love taco & Mexican dishes! Thanks!

[Shirley Panek]

Here you go. I've got this one earmarked to try. I wish I could post the picture, it looks soooooo yummy!

Black Bean-Taco Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
(July 2000, page 112)

With chicken, cheddar cheese, and black beans, this Southwestern-influenced salad needs nothing on the side except some iced tea. Fresh lime gives it a citrusy counterpunch.

Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled

Salad:
8 cups thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
1 1/2 cups chopped ready-to-eat roasted skinned, boned chicken breast (about 2 breasts)
1 cup chopped tomato
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup finely diced red onion
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups fat-free baked tortilla chips (about 4 ounces)

1. To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 11 ingredients in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
2. To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients except chips in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette; toss well to coat. Serve with chips.

Yield: 4 servings
(serving size: about 2 cups salad and 1 cup chips)

CALORIES 402 (28% from fat); FAT 12.6g (sat 3.2g, mono 6.5g, poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 24.5g; CARB 51.6g; FIBER 8g; CHOL 35mg; IRON 3.6mg; sodium 861mg; CALC 236mg

[This message has been edited by Shirley Panek (edited 08-15-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Shirley Panek (edited 08-15-2000).]

[Jeanne G]

Shirley!!
Thank you!! I am eager to make it!
Jeanne

[BeckyM]

I also LOVE this recipe, and my husband really ate it up! I've made it a couple times now, and one of them was for a dinner I needed to bring to someone else's house. Instead of mixing in the lettuce, I just mixed the dressing and everything else together ahead of time and then served the salad over the lettuce when dishing up plates. That way the lettuce didn't get all soggy and wilted. I was also able to eat leftovers for several days, and they tasted just as good as freshly made.

[CAROL ANN]

I have to agree with everyone this is a great recipe. I also have made it several times. It is a main dish at my house.

[HUNGRY!]

Hi all- here is another old one I am bringing up. Only two more nights of this- I promise!

I made this last night and we loved it. The dressing had a great kick to it. I made everthing as written except I left the cilantro out of the dressing. To make up for it I added some basil and parsley- but probably only 2 T not 1/4 cup. Also, I used mesulin (sp?) mix from my garden instead of iceburgh lettuce.

This was a great and very filling main course salad.

[tuff2000]

Hungry, I love that you are bringing up old threads. I just recently bought the annuals for both 2001 and 2002, so seeing new reviews of these recipes lets me know that they are worth trying Thanks, Tara

[Pony]

I made this last night w/ some leftover Psycho Chicken and we LOVED it!

I took the recommendations from one of the other threads about this recipe and doubled the dressing, but left the olive oil at 2 T. There was plenty of dressing after doing this, but would have been skimpy if not doubled. I cut back a tad on the red onions, just b/c I'm not a huge fan of raw onions. I used TJ's tortilla chips w/ flax seeds and thought they worked well with this salad. DH agreed. I served it over green leaf lettuce and did what BeckyM mentioned below.

Instead of mixing in the lettuce, I just mixed the dressing and everything else together ahead of time and then served the salad over the lettuce when dishing up plates.

Michelle

[BlueMoose]

Thanks for bringing this up, it looks great!

[MrsReber]

This is one of my favorites. I have made it several times, but the full recipe make LOTS of salad! Beware! We always have leftovers and I have only made this when we have had guests over. Not that we don't eat all the leftovers!