What's Cooking Wednesday - Taco Salad and Taco Casserole

I'm a huge fan of Mexican food.  It's very flavorful, and done right it's helathy too! 

This is a great example of it done right.  Susan V's Vegan taco salad.

The first step is cooking your beans.  Since I don't have a pressure cooker, I decided to cook mine in a crockpot on low for 5 hours while I was at work.  Next time I won't cook them quite as long, since they were a little mushier than I would have liked!  Don't forget to soak your beans overnight!

Now it's time to make your salad.  Feel free to do whatever you'd like here.  I used spinach, salsa, beans, olives, cheese, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. 

As you can imagine, I still had a ton of beans left!  I used some of them to make a taco casserole.   

 

I covered the bottom of the pan with tomato paste, then layered on a couple of corn tortillas.  I then mixed beans, brown rice, plain yogurt, and banana peppers for the filling.  Another layer of corn tortillas, then rotel tomatoes and a little cheese.  Delicious!

 

Beans are a great way to eat healthfully and frugally.  Even if you want meat in your dishes, you can add beans to make everything go further!  They are a lowfat way to add protein and fiber to your diet as well!

What are you cooking this Wednesday?