Taco Salad — The Eighteenth-Birthday Family Dinner

I turned eighteen on Saturday June fifteenth. The college orientation at the University of Tulsa is Monday June seventeenth. Cody’s handwritten card came through the mail Tuesday afternoon (he mailed it from the auto-body shop on his lunch break). The front had a small drawing of a kitchen window in pencil. Inside, in his careful handwriting, the message was: Kay, Eighteen. The world has been waiting for you. C.

I am eighteen. I am a high school graduate. I am headed to college on Monday for orientation. I am the legal voter I had been waiting to be since November 2016. I am going to register at the orientation.

The recipe Sunday for the family birthday dinner was taco salad — a bigger, more elaborate version of the same recipe I had made for week 14 of the notebook back in June 2016. The same dish three years apart. The kitchen is in a different place. The girl is in a different place. The recipe still works.

The math: ground beef $1.99, taco seasoning, beans, corn, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, lime. Total: about $7.40 for the dinner.

Mama said, when she ate the salad, baby, the kitchen has gotten taller in three years. Cody nodded. The household is going to lose a person to college in a couple of months but the household is still the household, and the kitchen is still the kitchen, and tonight the three of us are at the table for taco salad. The page is full.

The recipe is below. The trick is the same as it ever was.

Taco Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
• 1 packet taco seasoning (or 2 tbsp homemade blend)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels (canned or thawed frozen)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 2 cups tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Fresh cilantro, to taste

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef, breaking it apart with a spatula, until no pink remains, about 8–10 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Season the meat. Add taco seasoning and water to the skillet. Stir to combine and simmer for 3–4 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
3. Build the base. Divide the chopped romaine evenly among four large bowls or spread across one large serving platter.
4. Add the toppings. Layer the seasoned beef over the lettuce, then top with tomatoes, black beans, corn, red onion, avocado, and shredded cheddar.
5. Add the crunch. Scatter the crushed tortilla chips over the top just before serving so they stay crisp.
6. Dress and finish. Dollop sour cream and salsa over each bowl. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the top, scatter fresh cilantro if using, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 27g | Carbs: 38g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 780mg