Taco Salad with Creamy Chili Lime Dressing

Taco Salad with Creamy Chili Lime Dressing

Serves 1 as a meal or 2 as an appetizer or side

• about 3/4 head of romaine lettuce
• 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup ground beef style soy or vegetable protein (Trader Joe's Beefless Ground Beef is my fave)
• 1/4 of a ripe avocado, sliced
• 2 tbsp of your favorite salsa
• 1/2 tbsp tahini + 1/2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp fresh or bottled lime juice
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• a dash of sea salt
• about 1/4 tsp stevia sweetener, or to taste

Chop rinsed romaine with a sharp knife and remove stems. Place leaves in a mixing bowl. Mix tahini, water, lime juice, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt together. At this point, taste the dressing and very carefully add stevia in 1/8 tsp increments. Too much sweetener could very easily ruin the dressing. It should only be sweet enough to mellow out the tartness of the lime juice. Once the dressing is very thoroughly mixed, pour it onto the salad and toss well with hands. Set aside and let the leaves sit for at least five minutes. In the meantime, lightly grease a frying pan with cooking spray and combine frozen corn, black beans, and ground beef substitute. Fry over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture is hot. Transfer romaine to a plate and top with the frying pan contents, salsa, and avocado.