Quick Paleo Taco Salad with Plantain Chips

I made this about 2 weeks ago on a whim and it was great. I decided to make it again for the blog and realized, after being fully committed to the project, that I didn’t have like half of the ingredients. So, my strong will took over and I decided that I would in fact, still make this, substitute the missing ingredients, and have good faith that it would all work out in the end. Well, in my own opinion, I think it came out BETTER this time, with my quirky and somewhat random substitutions. So, just go with it and you won’t be disappointed.

A couple of notes about the ingredients. I learned about Sir Kensington’s mayonaise from Paleomg.com and since hearing about it I’ve seen it at a couple of local grocery stores. The ingredients are natural and soy free, dairy free and grain free making it paleo friendly. I do prefer to make my own mayo and flavor it myself most of the time, but once in a while this stuff is great! And it probably made this recipe what it is. Well, that or the plantain chips. It’s hard to be sad where plantain chips are involved. And speaking of them, feel free to substitute store bought chips to make this meal happen fast, but always check ingredients and look for paleo friendly oils (no soy or canola.) I’ve heard Trader Joe’s has good ones but haven’t tried them. Personally, I love frying my own in coconut oil and eating them fresh. That’s just me. Like I’ve said I’m cheap and enjoy making life hard on myself 🙂

Ingredients:

1. 1 tbsp coconut oil
2. 1 lb grass fed ground beef
3. 1 small onion, chopped
4. 1/4 cup mild jalapeno peppers (jarred kind), chopped (chopped green chilis would work too)
5. 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, chopped into small chunks
6. 1/2 tsp mexican style chili powder (mine contained chili peppers, cumin, salt, oregano, and garlic)
7. 1/2 tsp garlic powder
8. 1/4 tsp salt
9. 3 tbsp Sir Kensington’s Chipotle Mayo (I got mine at Whole Foods)
10. Plantain Chips, either from my recipe or Paleo friendly store bought, like Trader Joe’s .
11. 1 avocado, sliced
12. Your favorite salad greens

Directions:

1. If you are making plantain chips, do that before starting the rest.

• Set the plantain chips aside and heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add coconut oil to melt, then the ground beef. Cook for a few minutes, breaking up lumps to brown evenly and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
• Once the beef is halfway browned, add the onions and continue to stir and cook, until the onions become translucent and the beef is browned.
• Add in the jalapenos (or green chilis if using those) and the tomatoes and stir to combine. Lower the heat to med-low and add in the chili powder, garlic powder and salt, stirring to combine flavors.
• With the heat on low now, add it the chipotle mayo and stir thoroughly to combine. Let simmer for a minute and then remove from heat.
• Now arrange your salads. On a big plate, start with the salad greens, top with plantain chips, then beef mixture, then avocado slices. Repeat if you’re making more than 1 salad.

*The amount of beef mixture should make 3-4 salads. The beef mixture will make good leftovers for your eggs the next morning too if you don’t use it all.

EAT IT ALL! And don’t be too sad when it’s gone. You can make it again soon if you really miss it – remember this is easy!