New Year's Resolution Taco Salad

I'm back!!  Ok ok, I've been back in NZ for a week now, but you know I have to read through all of the wonderful posts that were waiting for me in my Google Reader before I could buckle down to do my own. 

What should be on my NY Resolutions: de-cluttering.  This is my junked-up coffee table, in all its junky glory!

In true New Year's style, Jonno and I have started our very own fitness regime in which he is the tyrant and I am the oppressed, jiggly peasant masses.  [Sorry, the word 'regime' just set me off on the semi-tangent.]  So far, we're a week into the Couch to 5K training program, which is a Big Deal for a non-runner like to me even consider making running part of my workouts.  Have I mentioned I hate(d) running?  For realz.  Hateness.

But it's really not so bad right now, mostly because it's gorgeous summer here in Wellington, or at least way better weather than over in America.  If I had attempted to start this thing over there, in the cold and snowingness and rainy dark and generally crappy weather, my training program would fizzle out faster than [insert non-offensive joke here].

So, you see, there's still kind of a problem with this whole exercise and eat well thing, namely being that I'm a food blogger and I still love love kissy kissy huggins love food.  Except for horseradish, nah I'll never ever touch that stuff, man.

When making our Grand Plans of 2012, I statutorily declared to hubs that I would not, WOULD NOT, abandon my foodie nature and give up eating the good stuff.  There may have been some foot stomping thrown in there too, just for good measure.  I need my chocolatepizzamexicanbutterpancakescurryhamburgers food.  To survive. 

Teaser: that Buttermilk Chocolate Cake is to die for.  I'll blog about it soon!

Solution?  Buy less cheese.  That's all that we could agree on.  So I keep making yummy things and taking photos of them and consuming them, but now maybe I'll share them instead of hoarding them in my refrigerator.  That would be nice of me, wouldn't it?

It would also be nice of me to share this easy recipe/idea for a quick taco salad, great for these summer nights when you don't want to spend any time near anything hot and you want to make something relatively healthy.

Please note: Jonno protests this being called a 'taco' salad, since there is really no actual taco anywhere in this thing.  My argument is that it's what you would put IN a taco, and you could really get some tortilla chips and spoon it up with them.  So there, Jonno, taco it is and forever will be. 

Match Point is a slightly disturbing movie, but it's by Woody Allen, so not all that surprising really.

Taco Salad
Serves: 4

• One bag salad greens, your choice
• 2 large boneless chicken breasts
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• one tin of sweet corn kernels
• one tin of beans - kidney, cannelini, chickpeas, or even Wattie's chili beans would work
• one large onion
• one capsicum, diced
• one punnet cherry or grape tomatoes
• 3 tbsp fajita spice (McCormick's makes a great one)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Chop up chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss in a bowl with lime juice and fajita seasoning.  Put in the fridge to marinate a little.
2. In a large skillet or frying pan, swirl around some olive oil over medium heat.  Coarsely chop your onion (don't cry, it's not sad!) and saute' until soft, but not much more.  Remove onions from the pan.
3. Throw the chicken in the hot pan and brown up.  Sprinkle a little more fajita seasoning over the chicken, and season with salt and pepper.
4. While the chicken is hotting up, chop up the capsicum, drain the corn, and rinse the scungy gross brine off the beans.  Once the chicken is sufficiently cooked and will not poison anyone, toss in the corn and beans to warm them up and get all mixed up in the seasonings.
5. In a large serving bowl, compile the tace salad thusly: greens, capsicum, onions, chicken/corn/bean mixture, tomatoes.  The juices from the chicken/corn/bean mix should be sufficient to dress the greens, but if not, toss a little olive oil and lime juice in there as well.

Other veggies could make an appearance in this tasty dish, and cilantro/coriander chopped over the top may send it into orbit, but I did not have any on hand, sads.  Give this a try, if you believe that salad can actually be dinner.  Or just make it for lunch, whatevs.