Green Chile Turkey Taco Salad with Peppers and Avocado

By Koric

Ingredients

• Turkey Mixture Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 lb. lean ground turkey (I used ground turkey thighs)
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup green chile salsa (for Paleo diet or Whole 30, choose salsa without added sugar)
• 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice)
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles (Anaheim chiles, not jalapenos unless you really want it spicy)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Dressing Ingredients:
• 1/4 cup green chile salsa (for Paleo diet or Whole 30, choose salsa without added sugar)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (or use sliced green onion if you're not a cilantro fan)
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or use another neutral-flavored oil of your choice, such as avocado oil)
• Salad Ingredients:
• 6 heads baby romaine lettuce (or about 3-4 regular heads romaine)
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 small Poblano pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch chopped cilantro (optional but recommended, use sliced green onion if you're not a cilantro fan)
• 2 avocados
• 1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice)

Details

Adapted from kalynsprintablerecipes.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the 2 tsp. olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan; add the ground turkey and break apart with a turner as it cooks. Cook the meat over medium-high heat until any released liquid has evaporated and the meat is starting to lightly brown, about 4-5 minutes. Then add the green chile salsa, lime juice, ground cumin, diced green chiles from a can, and a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper and let the mixture simmer on low while you prep the other ingredients, stirring occasionally.

To make the dressing add green chile salsa, finely chopped cilantro (or green onion if you're not a cilantro fan), lime juice, ground cumin, and salt to food processor or the bowl attachment of an Immersion Blender and process until the cilantro is well chopped. (You could chop the cilantro very finely by hand if you don't have a food processor or immersion blender.) Add the olive oil and buzz until it's blended with the other ingredients.

Coarsely chop the romaine lettuce, wash in a salad spinner, and spin dry. (You can also wash the lettuce in a colander, drain well, and pat dry with paper towels if you don't have a salad spinner.) Cut away the stem and seeds part of the green and red bell pepper and cut the peppers into short thin strips. Cut the Poblano chile in half, discard the stem and seeds and finely chop the Poblano. Chop the cilantro (or slice green onions if you're not using cilantro.) Chop the avocado and toss with the 1 T lime juice.

When all the liquid has cooked down in the meat mixture, assemble the salad. Combine the chopped romaine, green pepper strips, red pepper strips, chopped Poblano, and cilantro (or green onion) in a salad bowl and toss with the desired amount of dressing. Arrange the lettuce mixture on individual serving plates, top with a generous amount of the meat mixture, drizzle over a little more dressing if desired, and top with diced avocado.