Taco Salad
Marni Sumbal, MS, RD
We all know that the "taco" part of a taco salad is not-so friendly for the heart (or waist). Sure, once or twice a year is no big deal but choosing a taco-salad as a "healthy choice" is not likely to help when meeting your weight/performance goals if on-occasion becomes every now and then.
The average taco-salad (with the fried shell) contains around 950-1000 kcal, around 50-60g fat and close to 2000 mg sodium. The other night I was going for a veggie-filled wrap until my tortilla began to toast more than I wanted. I typically toast my tortilla on a low heat pan (after I cook my veggies) with a little non stick spray for a minute or two (total, both sides included) but when I started to see the bubbles in my "La Tortilla Factory 100 kcal tortilla (http://www.latortillafactory.com/products-5.aspx) I realized that there was no way I would be able to fold my wrap. I ended up putting my tortilla in a shallow bowl and I noticed that I was able to bend the edges (when it was still warm) so that it resembled a taco shell...but without the grease!! I was very impressed with my presentation, I couldn't wait til Karel came home from work to let him know we were having "taco salads" for dinner!
I'll leave the inside toppings up to you (be creative!) but I used tomatoes, green peppers, tofu, leftover Israeli couscous, onions, mushrooms, chickpeas, corn, garlic and romaine lettuce.
Heart-Healthy Taco Salad
The average taco-salad (with the fried shell) contains around 950-1000 kcal, around 50-60g fat and close to 2000 mg sodium. The other night I was going for a veggie-filled wrap until my tortilla began to toast more than I wanted. I typically toast my tortilla on a low heat pan (after I cook my veggies) with a little non stick spray for a minute or two (total, both sides included) but when I started to see the bubbles in my "La Tortilla Factory 100 kcal tortilla (http://www.latortillafactory.com/products-5.aspx) I realized that there was no way I would be able to fold my wrap. I ended up putting my tortilla in a shallow bowl and I noticed that I was able to bend the edges (when it was still warm) so that it resembled a taco shell...but without the grease!! I was very impressed with my presentation, I couldn't wait til Karel came home from work to let him know we were having "taco salads" for dinner!
I'll leave the inside toppings up to you (be creative!) but I used tomatoes, green peppers, tofu, leftover Israeli couscous, onions, mushrooms, chickpeas, corn, garlic and romaine lettuce.
Heart-Healthy Taco Salad
