Seeing so many people taking the Whole30® challenge in January really inspired me to go ahead and do a round myself. It’s been waaaay too long since I last took the challenge and I think it will do me a world of good. Somehow, I’ve managed to let some of my old bad habits creep back on me and it’s about time I got them in check again. I’ve been finding myself doing a lot of grazing lately and my old nut addiction has definitely resurfaced, to the tenth power!

Grazing + Nut Addiction = Most Deadly Combination

With that in mind, I decided that, in addition to the standard rules of the Whole30® program, I would once again have to establish a NO NUT policy for myself. That means no stuffing my avocados with all kinds of nut butters or using them in any of my recipes. This also means no using nut flours of any kind and no throwing in that handful of walnuts in my salads and other dishes for that bit of added crunch… YIKES! Now that will be tough. Super tough.

As well, there shall be no snacking between meals and no food whatsoever shall be consumed once dinner is over. Period. The last bite off my dinner plate shall be my last bite of food for the day. End of story. No exceptions.

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

Hey, it’s only food and it’s only 60 days. I totally got this.

Plus, I’m sure I’ll be coming up with a whole bunch of squeaky clean, delicious and satisfying recipes over the next 2 months. For some reason, my inspiration and creativity always seems to sky rocket when I’m on a Whole30®. I certainly won’t complain about that, and I don’t think any of you will, either!

So what do you say we kick things off with a Warm Taco Style Salad?

This salad will make you feel like you’re eating delicious, creamy, spicy taco stuffing, without the shell. Now, I don’t know about you, but what I like most about tacos is the stuffing. I can’t say I ever cared much for those tasteless, useless shells. Sure, they add a bit of an agreeable crunch to every bite, but as far as flavor is concerned, they don’t bring much interest at all the dish.

Personally, I’d much rather do without the crunch and get more of the flavor!

Plus, well, if you really missed that crunch, I figure you could always throw in a handful of nuts… if you haven’t ruled them out like I have, that is!

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

Start by melting some ghee in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat and then throw in the ground beef.

Cook the meat until it becomes brown and crispy, about 10-12 minutes. Then, add the black pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked chipotle, onion powder, tomato paste and water.

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

Stir and continue cooking for about one or two minutes, until pretty much all the water is evaporated and you’re left with a creamy, spicy and tasty meat mixture.

Set that aside to cool slightly while you work on the vegetables.

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

Start by chopping the romaine and divide it between 2 fairly large bowls.

If you want to get fancy, garnish the bowls with a few intact lettuce leaves before adding the shredded lettuce.

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

Top your shredded lettuce with the taco meat mixture…

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

Followed by olives, avocado and tomatoes.

Garnish with cashew sour cream and a few slices of lime.

As you may have guessed, I had this salad BEFORE my Whole30® started, so nuts weren’t off limits for me at the time. If I was to have this salad again today, I would simply replace that dollop of cashew cream with a generous spoonful of delicious Paleo Mayo

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

Now sit yourself down to this bowl of goody good nomness and lose yourself in the moment.

I think that like me, once you’ve had a taste of this Taco Style Salad, you’ll find that shell to be indeed pretty useless, after all!

Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com
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Warm Taco Style Salad

Servings: 2

Ingredients

The Meat

The Veggies

  • 1/2 avocado, diced
  • 6-9 cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 3-4 tbsp sliced black olives
  • 10-12 leaves romaine lettuce

The Garnish

  • Cashew "sour cream"
  • Lime wegdes

Instructions

  • In a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the ghee and throw in the ground beef. Cook the meat until it becomes brown and crispy, about 10-12 minutes. Add the black pepper, cumin, coriander, smoked chipotle, onion powder, tomato paste and water. Stir and continue cooking for one or two minutes until the water is completely evaporated. Set aside to cool slightly
  • Chop the lettuce leaves and divide between 2 bowls. Top with meat mixture, followed by olives, avocado and tomatoes.
  • Garnish with cashew sour cream and a few slices of lime.
Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

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Warm Taco Style Salad | thehealthyfoodie.com

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