When Brian had gall bladder cancer, he asked his oncologist what he could do to reduce his chances of getting any type of cancer again in the future. Without hesitation, the very first thing the oncologist said was, “Stop eating red meat and pork.” It’s been five years. Brian hasn’t had one bite of red meat or pork since and I only indulge when we go out to eat with friends — then I get in my burger or steak fix!
Not eating or cooking any red meat or pork at home, other than bacon for Natalie every once in a while, means that when we eat meat, we eat a lot of chicken, turkey, and fish. For about a year now, we’ve been eating mostly vegetarian, but while doing The Whole30, we’re more chicken, turkey, and fish than usual. This means we need to change things up and vary our recipes more so we don’t get stuck eating the same five things over and over.
Natalie wanted tacos for dinner and I had ground turkey on hand, so we decided to make up a batch of ground turkey taco meat so we could have Taco Salad and she could have street tacos. But guess what? Taco seasoning isn’t Whole30 compliant. Luckily, Brian’s previous career in the fire department meant he also had to be a stellar cook. He took over making the taco meat, creating his own taco seasoning from scratch and it was even better than the taco seasoning we normally buy!
Making Ground Turkey Taco Salad
Brian’s Whole30 compliant homemade taco seasoning was made with a combination of chili powder, cumin, oregano, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper.
While he cooked the taco meat, I prepared the salad. I used a mixed bagged salad as the base and added chopped green onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes. We topped the salad base with ground turkey taco meat and guacamole, and chowed down.
OMG. This Ground Turkey Taco Salad was amazing. It was light and the peppers gave it the crunch I wanted (that usually comes from crushed taco chips). I think this just might become a summer staple… I can totally see us eating this in the cabana while the kids play in the pool!
Ground Turkey Taco Salad
Skip the crushed tortilla chips and use chopped peppers in this spicy taco salad.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 bag of mixed, chopped salad
- 4 mini peppers, chopped
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 3 green onions, chopped
- Avocado or guacamole
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Add ground turkey and 3/4 cup water to a large skillet. Add chili powder, cumin, oregano, sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and black pepper. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the ground turkey and stirring throughout cooking.
- Combine you choice of bagged salads (the salad portion only), green onions, tomatoes, and peppers in large bowl, toss to combine, then plate.
- Top salad with taco meat and guacamole and serve immediately.
Notes:
If you're making taco salad for the whole family and not expecting leftovers, just add all of the taco meat into the salad and toss to combine.
