Healthy Eating – Taco Salad with Mexican Crema

This was going to be a taco salad… Until the store didn’t have romaine lettuce in any form. I am already the world’s worst at trying to remember the recipe and doing at least two things wrong. Tonight I forgot to add the tomatoes and green onions, but did throw a little queso fresco on top. I was surprised that this didn’t taste like ground turkey but much closer to beef.

I am loving the Instant Loss cookbook (linked here) and the quick delicious meals! I made this in 20 minutes and only have one pot to hand clean. Everything else is already in the dishwasher! So far we are 2 for 2 in wins out of this book.

The only thing I don’t get is why do this in the Instapot at all? I could have done the meat in a skillet just as well. Honestly, it would have been easier. Does anyone know why this would be done in the Instapot instead?

Taco Salad with Mexican Crema

• 2 tbs avocado oil
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
• 1 1/2 tbs chili powder
• 2 tsp dried minced onion
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup canned or frozen white corn kernels, rinsed and drained if canned
• 1/4 c pickled jalapenos, drained
• 5 c shredded romaine or green leaf lettuce (I cooked a cup of quinoa instead)
• 2 Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1/4 c chopped green onions
• 1 large ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
• 4 c organic tortilla chips (optional)
• Mexican Crema (see below)

1. Preheat and electric pressure cooker using the SAUTE function.

2. When the display panel reads HOT (mine just says ON), add the avocado oil, ground turkey, chili powder, dried onion, cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey browns, crumbles and is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. (I threw it all in on top of the turkey before I broke it up and it mixed in great)

3. Add the black beans, corn, and pickled jalapenos to the pot and stir to combine. Switch to KEEP WARM and place the lip on the pot. (I skipped the corn)

4. Assemble the salad by layering the lettuce (read quinoa), tomatoes, green onions, avocado, and tortilla chips (if using) in a serving bowl. When ready to server, add the turkey mixture, drizzle with the crema, and serve.

Mexican Crema

1 c sour cream or Greek yogurt

1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems

1 jalapeno, diced

1 tbs fresh lime juice

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a wide mouth mason jar and blend with an immersion blender.

Note: I definitely don’t have an immersion blender… I threw this in my Ninja blender (linked here) with the single serve attachment. A cheaper option that I love and have as well is the Ninja chopper mini (linked here). I linked both in case you are looking for a good option.