Taco Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

Tacos are usually a standby meal in our household, such a simple meal.  However, we decided to mix up our taco night just a bit by making taco salad.  We did have one minor crisis - we usually have plenty of taco seasoning on hand in the pantry - but tonight - gasp! none!  We had to improvise by making our own.

David whipped up the following mixture that made an equal substitute for taco seasoning:

Equal parts of:

• Minced onion
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Cayenne Pepper
• Chili Powder
• Cumin

Taco salad ingredients:

• Torn green leaf lettuce
• Seasoned ground beef
• 8oz box of sliced mushrooms seasoned in the same pan as the beef
• pinch of Mexican shredded cheese (leftover from a previous meal)
• spoonful of salsa (leftover from the chicken tortilla pie)

Cilantro Lime Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• touch of lime rind & juice

There really isn't anything too spectacular about a taco salad, but its a bit healthier than a straight up taco because we used far less cheese & meat in our meal and substituted some of the filling with mushrooms.