It’s been a while since I put up a Meatless Monday recipe, but I really wanted to share my favorite taco salad with you.  There’s enough here for four very large servings at $4.50 each.

Black Bean Taco Salad

1 bag Tortilla chips (we use Central Market sea salt tortilla chips)
1 bag shredded lettuce (iceberg is really the standard for taco salad)
2 cans organic black beans
1 medium sweet onion
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper (red and yellow have the most nutrients, but red tends to be more pricey)
Shredded cheese, Mexican blend
Sour cream, low fat
2 tomatoes
2 avocados, diced (or premade guacamole if your store is out of good avocados)
Fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime
Salsa (we buy the store’s brand that’s in the produce department rather than the kind that comes in jars)
1 Tbsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil

• Dice tomatoes and slice lime into 4 wedges.  Set aside for serving.
• Drain and rinse black beans and set aside.  Chop onions and bell pepper and place in medium pan.  In a small dish, mix salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne.  Add olive oil and garlic to the onions and bell pepper, stir to coat and cook over medium for about 6 minutes stirring frequently.  Add spices to the onions and peppers, continue to stir around contents of the pan to give the vegetables an even coat of seasoning, cooking for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add the drained black beans to the pan with the onions and peppers and stir together evenly.  Have a large serving bowl ready.  After two or three minutes in the pan, empty beans, onions and peppers into the serving bowl.
• Prepare your avocado or guacamole at this time so that it is fresh and green.  Chop up your cilantro now also.  Serve in large bowls with all the fixin’s.  I like to put down two handfuls of crushed tortilla chips, a generous handful of lettuce, a few spoonfuls of tomato, a sprinkle of cilantro, three serving spoons of the bean mixture, a small handful of cheese, scoop of guac, scoop of sour cream, two spoons of salsa and a big squeeze of lime juice.  I’m drooling just thinking about it.