Simple Supper: Taco Salad with Simple Salsa

We’re counting down the days until it’s officially summer, but the days are already getting warmer. And sometimes, on beautiful summer days, the last thing you want to do after a long day is create a complicated dinner. So, a Simple Supper menu to the rescue, complete with an easy entree salad perfect for warmer nights.

The Simple Supper Menu

• Taco Salad

• Tortilla Chips with Simple Salsa

• Chocolate Chip Cookies

Taco Salad

Warmer temps call for lighter evening meals, and a taco salad is a flavorful, easy main course for the season. Taco salads are quick to pull together, and you probably already have all the ingredients in your fridge or pantry!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef, browned and seasoned with your favorite taco seasoning. (Feel free to make your own; we suggest this recipe. But if we’re being honest, most of the time, we use a pre-packaged seasoning mix. If you do use a taco seasoning packet, try to find one that’s lower in sodium.)

• 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

• 6 cups Romaine lettuce or lettuce mix

• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

• Black olives, sliced (as many as desired)

• Red onion, sliced thin, about 2 tablespoons

• Additional topping as desired: jalapenos, salsa, red or green peppers, tortilla chips or Fritos and sour cream

• Dressing of your choice (We suggest Brianna’s Creamy Cilantro Lime or your favorite Ranch dressing.)

Directions

1. Brown meat and drain any grease. Add seasoning according to directions (you may need to stir in water) and allow to heat through and thicken. Stir in beans to warm.

2. Place lettuce in a large bowl or smaller individual bowls.

3. Top with toppings as desired.

4. Store leftover meat in the fridge for 3-4 days, tightly sealed. When making a salad from the leftovers, warm the meat mixture separately and make a new salad so the greens don’t get soggy.

Simple Salsa

Nothing pairs with a taco salad quite like chips and salsa (and if we’re being honest, we’re always up for chips and salsa)! If you’re looking for a quick homemade salsa that you can tailor to your family’s preferences, try this recipe from our founder, Mandy Crow. If you have a jarred salsa that you love, grab a jar and your favorite brand of tortilla chips. (We suggest Late July chips. DELICIOUS! As an Amazon Associate, The Bookery earns from qualifying purchases.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We’re big fans of chocolate chip cookies at The Bookery, and our favorite recipe is quick to pull together and a general crowd-pleaser. This recipe, a tried-and-true staple for our founder, is based on this recipe and offers up soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies that stay that way. They’re delicious served warm as well as cooled!

Ingredients

• ¾ cups butter, softened (We usually use salted butter and all is well!)

• ¾ cups brown sugar, firmly packed

• ¼ cup granulated sugar

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons corn starch

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt (may want to adjust if you’ve used salted butter like us)

• 1 cup chocolate chips (or however many you want. We’re firm believers in not measuring chocolate chips!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.

2. With an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

3. Add in egg and vanilla and blend well.

4. To this mixture, add in flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt. Mix well. We’ll be honest: we don’t even mix the dry ingredients together separately before mixing them in to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Just dump and stir.

5. When combined, fold in chocolate chips.

6. Using a standard cookie scoop, drop dough on cookie sheet. Bake at 350º for 8-10 minutes. For our founder’s oven, 9 minutes is the sweet spot. You want the bottoms to be browned and the edges to be golden, but the tops may look like they’re not done. It’s OK!

7. Cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack (or your mouth).

8. Enjoy!