Super Easy & Nutritious “Faux Mexican” Dinner

Looking for a quick, nutritious dinner with a little kick? I discovered this easy recipe from a friend who posted a photo of her dinner on Instagram, so I asked for the recipe, then made it my own.

Lindsay calls this “Faux Mexican”…I’m not quite sure why, but either way, it rocks! It has the right kick to it, and can be great with tortillas, tacos, tortilla chips, brown rice, as chili, or like I made it.

“Faux Mexican”

1 lb ground turkey
1 can reduced sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes with green chills
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning

1. Brown the ground turkey. Meanwhile, dice the green and red bell peppers.
2. Once the meat has been browned, add the black beans, green and red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, and a little bit of water (I put some water in the tomato can to get the last bits of tomatoes).
3. Simmer for about 10-20 minutes, depending on how much liquid you want left, and until desired softness of the bell peppers.
4. Serve with the desired sides: I used shredded lettuce to make a naked taco salad of sorts, with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and a little bit of shredded cheese.

A one-pot meal with protein, fiber, and can be pretty darn filling! I served this with croissant rolls that I unrolled, sprinkled some garlic powder and shredded cheese, rolled up, and baked in the oven. They were just perfect for the meal on a cold winter night.

The finished product: So colorful (and yummy)!!

Your turn: What’s your favorite one-pot meal?

A Simple Meal – Taco Salad

Dinner at home is rare for me right now with my work schedule, and with the gorgeous weather we’ve been having, I don’t want to be stuck in the house, but rather taking the dogs for a walk or doing something besides cook. So the other night, when both M and I were actually home for dinner, I wanted something different, so I decided to make taco salad.

Unfortunately I didn’t have any taco meat seasoning or even any chili seasoning (chili seasoning does well in a pinch, fyi). So as I was browning the ground turkey, I added dried chopped onions, some fresh ground black pepper, a little garlic powder, and some red pepper flakes. Then once the meat was browned, I added some salsa and some taco sauce to give the meat a little more flavor.

Meanwhile, I chopped up the half head of iceberg lettuce we had left from salad earlier in the week (M hates bagged salad). I added a few tortilla chips to a bottom of my salad bowl (gotta have a little crunch in there), then piled on the lettuce, browned taco meat, some light shredded cheese, and more salsa. It was exactly what we both needed–a light, yet filling meal that was quick and healthier than going out (and cheaper, too).

I think next time I might add some beans for a little more protein and fiber. M added his trademark banana peppers. If I ever got the gumption to try to make healthy guacamole (or I could just buy it…), that’d be great to add on, too.

Feel free to make the recipe your own–that’s part of the fun of taco salads, right?

A colorful bowl of yumminess!