taco salad

One of my favorite lunches is a healthy taco salad that goes together quickly.

Ingredients:

• White corn tortilla chips (I make my own)
• No-fat refried beans, seasoned to taste (I like chili powder, cumin, and taco seasoning)
• 1 100-calorie package guacamole
• 2 cups of greens (lettuce, kale, or spinach)
• 1 small ripe tomato

I have a tray designed to make potato chips in the microwave. (It allows you to enjoy oil free chips that are just as crispy as the grocery store ones.) I use this to crisp up white corn tortillas. I have a tiny microwave so each one takes about 2  minutes.

While the chips are crisping up, I mix up some spicy refried beans. After reading all the labels in the Mexican food aisle, I can usually find refried beans with no added oil. I love the texture of the La Preferida black beans.

I scoop out enough for my salad -- about 1/2 cup -- and stir in chili powder, cumin and packaged taco seasoning. This gets microwaved for about 30 seconds. While cooking more chips, I chop up a couple handfuls of greens -- Romaine, kale, and spinach -- with a nice juicy tomato.

Guacamole comes in handy individual serving packs -- so I can always have some of this delicious stuff fresh and ready for my salad.

To construct the salad, I put the greens and tomato on a plate and surround them with crispy tortilla chips. I add the beans and guacamole and enjoy a delicious lunch.