Taco salad is a fresh way to enjoy a pound of ground bison or beef and an easy way to achieve compromise family dinner if you have a pack of taco shells at the ready.
Bison Taco Salad with Avocado Ranch
makes 1¼ cup dressing, adapted from Rozanne Gold, Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs
Ingredients
Bison Taco Meat
- 1 pound ground bison or beef
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning or chile powder Montana Mex red can or Penzey's Taco
- 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder or substitute chile powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin, ground
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons water up to 2 additional tablespoons
Avocado Ranch Dressing
- ½–¾ cup buttermilk start with ½ cup and add more to get desired consistency
- 1 medium avocado
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice from 1 or 2 limes
- 1 scallion white part only, thinly sliced save the greens for the salad
- a few dashes hot sauce
Salad
- romaine lettuce, red cabbage, red bell pepper (or whatever greens and other sturdy vegetables you like or have on hand)
- 1 avocado
- pickled jalapeños Roots Kitchen Cannery
Toppings: tortilla chips (or strips of corn or flour tortilla tossed with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and toasted in the oven or in a frying pan on the stove), halved cherry tomatoes, cilantro leaves, red onion, shredded cheddar, and lime wedges for spritzing
Instructions
Taco Meat
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Heat the avocado oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and brown the bison, crumbing it smaller as you go using a wood spatula or spoon.
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Mix together the spices in a small bowl. Add water and mix to form a paste, adding more water one tablespoon at a time if you think it needs more. Stir into the browned meat and cook a few minutes. Remove from heat until you are ready to serve, you can heat it up again just before.
Avocado Ranch Dressing
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Add the buttermilk, avocado, olive oil, lime juice, sliced scallion, and hot sauce to a blender or food processor. Blend to combine.
Salad
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Compose the salad, top with a spoonful or two of taco meat, and decorate with sliced avocado, pickled jalapeño, etc. Enjoy!
