{recipe} homemade taco seasoning & taco salad

When I was doing Whole30, I got really good at reading labels and it opened up my eyes. Even my seasonings and dried herb mixes had a ton of ingredients I couldn’t understand or pronounced.  I made this taco seasoning back in March and this week I made my second batch. It’s great with meat and I also sprinkle it on salad, but I use it mostly to make ground meat for my taco salad.

I prefer to have salads for my packed lunch and this taco salad has been one of my favorites. I don’t mind eating the same salad every day for my work lunch. But I do try to change up my salads weekly.  Making the same salad for the week makes it easier to shop for ingredients and I only have to think about variety when it comes to dinner, when I’m making food for the whole family.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Original Source: Food Renegade

Mix all of the following:
1/4 C. plus 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
1 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
1/4 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
1 1/4 tsp. Dried Oregano
2 1/2 tsp. Paprika
2 Tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. Black Pepper

– I store this in a sealed glass container.

Taco Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 Head of romaine
• 1 Cup Cherry Tomatoes sliced in half
• 1 Cup Cucumbers
• Red Bell Peppers
• Half an Avocado
• Thinly sliced red onions
• A handful of black olives
• 4-6 oz browned ground beef, mixed with the taco seasoning above

Other tasty add-ins: radishes, cilantro

This is my favorite dressing for taco mix salad, Tessemae’s Southwest Ranch.  I have only eaten this salad with this dressing, I love it. I find it at my local supermarket, but I will probably start buying online in bulk since they have free shipping.

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