Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Taco Salad
• Healthy Taco Salad
  
• Black Beans & Corn
  
• Fresh Salsa (pico de gallo)
  
• Healthy Vegan Recipes
  

Who doesn't love a good Taco Salad? I love this recipe because it is full of flavour, but also good for you ingredients. There are plenty of Taco salads out there with tons of sour cream, cheese, & meat. Of course those aren't going to taste bad, but why not have something super flavourful AND good for your body. Sure this has corn chips, but I'm Ok with that. I often buy multigrain, or a quality organic brand, and as far as including a couple handfuls in my dinner goes, I think it evens out when you're loading in the vegetables and whole grains. 

This Taco Salad also has fresh salsa, black beans, corn, quinoa, avocado, fresh mint & cilantro. Then it all gets dressed with a simple cumin lime vinaigrette. I also like to garnish this with pickled jalapeno peppers, a drizzle of coconut yogurt and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. 

Ingredients for salad (for about 4 servings): 

•  1 cup quinoa, cooked
•  a large package of greens (couple handfuls per person)
•  1 can black beans
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups corn niblets
•  3 tomatoes, chopped + a bit of red onion, finely chopped
•  2 avoacados
•  1 big bag of corn chips (I like using multigrain if I can get them)
•  a handful of chopped mint
•  a handful fresh cilantro
•  2 limes
•  1 x recipe for cumin lime dressing (below)
• To garnish: pickled jalapeno peppers, coconut yogurt, smoked paprika

Method: 
I chose to mix the ingredients with the vinaigrette separately and layer them onto my plate, but it's not necessary. 

1. Toss with the vinaigrette: greens & chopped mint, black beans & corn, tomato and red onion. Season with S & P. Divide onto plates.
2. Toss quinoa with a bit of vinaigrette, S & P and a few sprinkles of smoked paprika, spoon onto salad mixture.
3. To the salad add slices of avocado, a couple of lime wedges, corn chips, a drizzle of coconut yogurt, fresh cilantro and an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika.
4.  Dig in.

​

Smoked Paprika can be expensive in stores, this is the exact one I buy for my home as I use it in a lot of recipes and it is the most affordable way to purchase it. 

Whisk all ingredients together, store unused vinny in the fridge
​

• 1 cup good quality olive oil ( I use an affordable Presidents Choice brand Extra Virgin Olive Oil, you just dont want something that tastes bitter.)
• 3/4 cup lime juice (i like it punchy, a traditional vinaigrette ratio would call for 1/2 cup of lime juice to 1 cup of oil, you could start with that ratio and add more lime to taste)
• 1 tbsp dijon
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp cumin

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags:

• Iced Coffee
• Cafe Mocha
  
• Protein Drink
  
• Coco Whip
  
• Vegan Mocha Latte
  

Iced Coffee History
​In the United States, iced coffee began to gain popularity during the early 20th century. The first iced coffee recipe appeared in the New York Times in 1867, which described a method of brewing coffee and then adding ice to it.
During the 1920s, a new technique called "flash brewing" was developed in which hot coffee is brewed over ice, which results in a smoother and less bitter taste than traditional iced coffee.

In recent years, cold brew coffee has become a popular alternative to traditional iced coffee. This method involves steeping coarsely ground coffee in cold water for an extended period of time, resulting in a smoother and less acidic taste.

My Iced Mocha Recipe Notes
While many iced coffee enthusiasts insist on cold brew or nothing, I still like it made the original way. It is tasty! It's a delicious summer treat, and I sometimes even make it after a work out if I feel like having caffeine. I add protein powder for the nutritional boost, and I always buy the best coffee I can afford, which will obviously affect the final taste.  Cashews add body and richness. Dates blended into the drink & coco whip on top provide a touch of sweetness. You can find coco whip in a lot of super markets pre made in the freezer section, or you can make it yourself using full fat coconut milk or coconut cream. I don't have a recipe on my blog for coco whip, but here is one by minimalist baker if needed.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup espresso or strong brewed coffee
• 2 cups of your favourite plant milk (I like oat and soy)
• 8 dates
• 1/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
•  1 scoop (or 2) vanilla protein powder (I use Vega vanilla protein powder)
•  coco whip to garnish

Method:

1. If you are in a rush, put dates & cashews in microwave safe bowl. Pour water over to cover. Microwave 1 minute. Let sit for a few more minutes then strain and discard water. Alternatively you can soak the dates and cashews for several hours to soften. 
2.  Combine all ingredients except for cocowhip. Blend in a high speed blender (or with immersion blender) until smooth. 
3. Poor over a glass filled with ice.
4. Top with coco whip and a drizzle of chocolate and or cinnamon if desired.
5. Stir the coco whip into the drink a bit and enjoy.