Whip it up Wednesdays

A good friend gave us some sweet peppers and lettuce a couple days ago, so I wanted to center our evening meal around those ingredients. Since Wednesdays showcase easy meals that can be easily whipped up, I thought a taco salad would work well. I found a Betty Crocker recipe that sounded good and was easy to make!

Sous Chef: Zachary

Recipe: Fiesta Taco Salad (Betty Crocker)

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 c. taco sauce (we don't have any taco sauce right now, but I had enough Taco Bell Mild Sauce packets to fill any entire 1/2 cup!! ;)
6 cups bite-size pieces lettuce
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips (I used the red, orange and yellow peppers)
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges (I used cherry tomatoes, cut in half)
1 cup corn chips
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
1/2 cup Thousand Island dressing (we don't have that either, but it really didn't need it...just a dab of sour cream worked great)

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, heat beans and taco sauce over medium heat 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

2. In large bowl, toss lettuce, peppers, tomatoes and corn chips (we actually didn't toss the chips with the salad, we placed some on the plate and put the salad on top instead). Spoon bean mixture over salad; toss. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately with dressing or sour cream.

Notes: I think a different kind of protein would also work well, like chicken or beef.

Children Critiques:

Megan: "Yummy!"
Zachary: "Thank you for this wonderful dinner!"
Anna: "Mmmm..."
Amelia: "This is the best dinner!"