My family and I like to try different types of foods that will bring a little life to our meal times and I have found that this layered version of a Taco Salads is a great way to have a satisfying meal without spending a great deal of time in the kitchen. Every member of my family enjoys this delicious dish and looks forward to sitting down at the dinner table when they know it will be on the menu. There are no “oh mom, do we have to eat this again?” or “I forgot, I have to be someplace right now and can’t eat dinner.” They make sure that all other obligations will not interfere with this particular dinner.

Layered Taco Salad
1 cup medium salsa
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 envelop taco seasoning
large bag tortilla chips
head of lettuce (or as much as require for family size)
4 ripe tomatoes
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese
1 red pepper thinly sliced
1 red onion thinly sliced
1 cucumber peeled and cubed
15 oz can black olives, drained and sliced
sour cream

In a small bowl combine the salsa and limejuice, set aside. In a large skillet cook ground beef until no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle with the taco seasoning, stir to coat well and remove from heat. Divide the tortilla chips among individual plates (6 for this size recipe). Place a layer of lettuce on each plate. Top with tomatoes, beans, peppers, onions, and cucumbers. Add layer of beef mixture. Top with salsa, cheese, sour cream and black olives. Serve immediately.

To cool down the spiciness of this salad, you will love this delicious dessert.

Mango Lemon Sorbet
3 cups peeled and chopped mangoes
½ cup cold water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a blender, combine the mangoes and water; cover and blend until smooth. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Cover and process until sugar is dissolved. Transfer mixture to a freezer container, cover and freeze until firm. This recipe make 6 servings. OH! So delicious!

Shopping List:

• medium salsa
• lime juice
• extra lean ground beef
• taco seasoning
• tortilla chips
• lettuce
• tomatoes
• 15 oz can black beans
• shredded Mexican Blend cheese
• red pepper
• red onion
• cucumber
• 15 oz can black olives
• sour cream
• mangoes
• sugar
• lemon juice