Taco Time! Soy, Wheat, and (can be) Dairy Free

I love tacos, but they certainly can be messy. All of the good stuff ends up falling out, and I have to eat it with a fork. I figured that I may as well turn it into a salad that I will actually be able to eat; the bonus is that the kids like it too- even the lettuce! This is our new favorite Friday lunch special in the VanDyke household.

Taco Salad
1 handful of corn tortilla chips per person- I prefer Fry's brand, as they are $1.00 per bag!
1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 can black beans
6-8 small sweet peppers, sliced thin
1 handful of cheese per person
1-3 tablespoons of homemade salsa per person
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed red pepper

Brown the ground meat, and add all of the spices, place on low until the salad is ready. Chop romaine lettuce and slice sweet peppers. Place lettuce in bowls, arrange chips around the back, or crush them over the salad if preferred. Place taco meat, cheese, black beans, and sliced sweet peppers over the bed of lettuce. Top with homemade salsa, and enjoy!

Spaghetti: Dairy, Soy Free (Wheat Free- Optional)

This recipe is crucial to our weekly schedule; spaghetti is such a staple, and its so easy to make! It took awhile to find a sauce that did not contain cheese, but I managed to narrow it down to two brand/types: Ragu Organic Traditional, and Prego Heart Smart Traditional. Both sauces are excellent in flavor and ingredients. If you need to make it gluten or wheat free, then replace the wheat pasta with rice spaghetti; my favorite brand is Pasta Joy, and it can be found at Whole Foods, Sunflower Market, and Sprouts. Of course, if red meat is not your thing either, just sub in ground turkey for the ground beef; its just as good, and probably a smidge healthier for you! For an extra treat, add diced avocado on top of your spaghetti instead of cheese!

1 lb ground beef
Whole wheat spaghetti- try Garofolo from Costco
2 cups/ 1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 clove/ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bell pepper / 6 sweet peppers, chopped small

~Set up the water to boil for the spaghetti, and setup a medium skillet for the ground beef.
~Cook the ground beef on medium, until barely pink, then add the garlic, oregano, basil, bell or sweet peppers, and the ground pepper.
~Continue to cook on medium until the beef is fully browned and the bell or sweet peppers are tender.
~When the water boils, add the spaghetti, and set the timer: 8 minutes for wheat pasta, or 15 minutes for rice.
~When the meat is fully browned, add the spaghetti sauce and reduce the heat to medium low.
~Add the sugar and olive oil to the sauce, stir.
~Everything should end up ready at about the same time.
~The entire meal takes about 20 minutes to prepare and cook, a little longer if the beef is frozen.