Summertime, And the Livin' Is Easy

As the weather heats up, you find yourself wanting lighter fare. Also dishes you can make quick style and without all the burners blazing. Salads are good but salads with meat are even better! Taco salads are perfect because its a meal in a bowl.

I love hard shell tacos, so this is sort of the lazy monkey's version of that. You see buying hard taco shells for me is like an Italian buying a can of Spaghettios. It could happen but it really shouldn't. No, I must make my own but then that takes another pan, wasting oil and a bit of mess if you do it right. So the taco salad bowl makes it super easy, you just add your favorite store bought chips. My dad would look down on me knowing I even bought store chips, but they have some great ones on the market. Nothing compares to a freshly fried tortilla though.

Tacos, tostadas, tex-mex salads - they're all super affordable. Its a bargain with ground chicken at $2.13 a pound. You stretch that by combining with spices, black beans, onions and green peppers to make an excellent starting base. Anything you like for the toppings but this time I took out much of the fat by eliminating the cheese and sour cream. Instead I added more tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, red and green onions.