"Blend & Extend" Taco Salad

A couple weeks ago, I found this website, http://www.blendandextend.ca/. It was created by the Beef Farmers of Ontario and Mushroom Canada. The idea behind it is adding mushrooms to your ground beef to stretch out the beef while adding veggies at the same time.

After meeting with a dietician, I realized how out of control the meat servings I've been eating have gotten.  Did you know that one serving of meat is about 100g, raw. I guess a hunk of meat, like a steak or chop wouldn't be too bad at 100g, but ground beef is pretty small when you're looking at 100g.  I thought that this was a great resource, so I tried it out this week. 

One of our favourite meals is tacos.  I often make my tacos into a taco salad. It's easy to over do it on taco shells or wraps and meat, so when I saw the recipe for a taco salad, I knew I should try it.

You can find the recipe here: http://www.blendandextend.ca/portfolio/taco-salad/

I had to make some changes to the recipe, because I didn't prepare nearly enough before getting groceries. Luckily, all worked out, but it could have been a complete kitchen disaster.

• I used Mini-Bella mushrooms, they worked great
• I didn't have a red pepper, so I omitted, but next time I'll make sure I have one (or a mix of green, red and orange)
• I didn't have Tex-Mex seasoning, but I did have a packet of taco seasoning, so I used that.  I ended up needing a lot, so I think I'll try the actual seasoning next time.
• The recipe calls for one can of diced tomatoes. In my mind, a can is a 28oz can. Not right. This recipe requires a 14oz can.  Sadly, I only realized it after I poured the entire can into the pan, so I had to carefully pick out half a can worth of tomatoes.  I didn't quite get enough out, and hopefully I won't make that mistake again. Thank goodness I realized, because it would have been gross.
• I also didn't have an avocado. I usually do, but they weren't ripe at all this week, so I didn't buy any this week. I did, however have some all natural guacamole, so I used a little dollop of that.
• Also, no sour cream. (Seriously, what DID I buy for groceries???) Luckily, I use greek yogurt in exchange for sour cream all the time, so that's what I did.
• I also added spinach to the lettuce. 

I also didn't have all the required kitchen tools.  Without a food processor, I had to use the old knife and cutting board and cut the onion and mushrooms up fine.

There was a lot of food on that plate. It doesn't look like it, but it was a big plate with a sky-high salad. Lots of green veggies. It was delicious and even got the husband stamp of approval. That's a tough one when lots of vegetables are involved.

This is definitely a make again meal. Hmmm, what other recipes can I blend and extend?