When You Just Want to Eat Something Cold
taco salad
Season cooked ground beef with 2 - 3 T chili powder, cumin powder, salt to taste, and however much garlic you want. Place in the refrigerator to cool.
Make dressing and put in refrigerator to cool. The easy way is to make any simple oil and vinegar dressing but add garlic and chili powder, salt and a little sugar to taste. Of course you may use a package of taco seasoning, but that contains MSG, so I don't use it. Make sure mix up the dressing and taste it. You may need to add more oil, vinegar or water if it is too strong.
Make a big salad out of all of the veggies plus the beans, olives and cheese. Toss.
At this point, if you are not serving it right away, just leave the salad and meat refrigerated.
To assemble, add the taco meat to the salad, toss. Slightly break up the chips and add several handfulls, toss. Shake the dressing to blend and add sparingly, tossing as you go. Remember, you can add more but not subtract. You want to moisten it, not drown it in dressing.
Serve in large salad bowls with optional sour cream and salsa toppings. Serves 4 to 6. Will keep one day in the frig, but chips will be soggy, so if you want to keep some for later, set some aside with no chips and no dressing added. Then add the chips and dressing before serving.