Paleo Taco Salad with Guacamole

I love Mexican food. Growing up in Oklahoma, there is a surprising amount of fantastic Mexican restaurants. My typical restaurant order consists of fajita chicken enchiladas, Mexican mashed potatoes and rice with unlimited tortilla chips, salsa and quesadilla. Nothing from that is Paleo except maybe the salsa. I am still working on recreating this dish “Paleo Style,” but the biggest thing is preserving the flavors of the dishes. My favorite Paleo Mexican dish always comes down to taco salad. It is very easy to make and stores well in the refrigerator. It might feel easy to grab a taco seasoning packets from the grocery store, but resist the urge! It is easy to make your own without all the gross chemicals you can’t pronounce. Guacamole is one of my all time favorite Mexican toppings. It is easy to make and fun to play around with. I make a fairly basic guacamole, but feel free to spruce it up with any of your favorites! 

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Chips

One large sweet potato. (The more even it is all around the more evenly the chips will cook)

1 Tbls Coconut oil

2 tsps Pink Himalayan salt

Meat

1 LB Ground Turkey

2 tsps Ghee or Clarified butter 

Taco Seasoning

2 Tbls Ground Chili powder

2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Garlic Powder

½ tsp Ground Cayenne pepper 

½ tsp Salt

½ tsp Pepper

Guacamole

3 Ripe Haas Avocados, cubed

½ Large White Onion, diced

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 Jalapeño, diced (Cut jalapeno in half. Devein and seed one half to reduce the heat)

2 tsp Lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Extras

Baby Spinach

Salsa 

Directions

The first step is baking the sweet potato chips that will add the crunch normally associated with taco salad. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel sweet potato and slice using a mandolin into very thin slices. Toss sweet potatoes in a bowl with coconut oil and salt. Evenly space on a non-stick baking sheet and place into the oven. After 10 minutes, take the pan out and flip the chips. After another 10 minutes, pull the pan out and take off any chips that are starting to brown onto a cooling rack. Turn the oven up to 400 degrees and place the chips back in for 5 minutes. Every oven is different so keep a close eye on the chips so they don’t burn. Place remaining chips on the cooling rack. 

While the chips are cooking, season your meat. I used ground turkey, but ground beef will work as well. Mix taco seasoning in a small bowl, sprinkle liberally over the meat. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with ghee. Once the skillet is hot, add the seasoned meat. While the meat is cooking, cut up your onion and jalapeño. As the meat cooks break it up with a wooden spoon to brown it, while adding more of the taco seasoning to evenly coat the meat. Once the meat is cooked through, remove from the skillet and set aside. 

Add sliced onion and jalapeño to the skillet. Cook until onions become translucent. Add vegetables to the meat and combine. 

The last but probably one of the best steps is putting together the guacamole. Mash all ingredients together in a bowl.

Assembly! Place a good helping of rinsed baby spinach in the bottom of your bowl. Then add meat and veggie mixture. Pour a little of your favorite salsa. I use Trader Joes Salsa Authentica. Sprinkle with sweet potato chips and top with a good helping of guacamole. 

Enjoy!

x vanessa