Taco Salad — The Recipe That Became Mine

News from somewhere far away: a virus. China. Something called a coronavirus. I see it on the television at the bakery — we have a small TV mounted in the corner that plays the news on mute — and the images are of people in masks and empty streets and hospitals overwhelmed. It is far away. It is not here. It is not my concern. My concerns are: the bakery, the children, Luis Jr.'s deployment, the caldo de res that needs more lime. The virus is China's concern. I send a prayer for the people in the masks and I go back to the conchas because the conchas are my jurisdiction and the virus is not.

Isabella is in the second semester of her junior year. AP Chemistry, AP English Language, Anatomy & Physiology, and a new addition: AP Psychology. She is taking four AP classes. She is seventeen. She is a machine of academic achievement and the machine runs on caldo and determination and the color-coded whiteboard that has become the iconic piece of furniture in her bedroom, more important than the bed, because Isabella sleeps less than she studies and the studying is the sleeping — the rest that her mind needs is the rest of being in its element, which is the textbook, the flashcard, the highlighted paragraph.

Diego entered the district science fair again — this year with a project on "Passive Cooling Systems for Desert Architecture," which involves a model building he designed with walls that ventilate naturally, without electricity or air conditioning, using principles he learned from studying traditional adobe construction in — where else — Anapra. He told me: "Abuela Rosa's house was hot because the cinder blocks didn't breathe. Adobe breathes. If Abuelo had used adobe, the house would have been ten degrees cooler." He is eleven. He is retroactively engineering his grandfather's house. Alejandro would have either been offended or proud. Probably both. Probably proud, eventually.

I made enfrijoladas this week — tortillas dipped in a creamy black bean sauce, topped with crema and queso fresco and pickled onion. Not Rosa's recipe — Rosa didn't make enfrijoladas because Rosa's cuisine was Chihuahuan and enfrijoladas are more southern — but mine, learned from a cookbook I found at the library, refined over three attempts until the bean sauce was velvety and the tortillas were soft without being soggy and the pickled onions were sharp enough to cut through the richness. The enfrijoladas are mine. Year by year, the notebook fills with recipes that are mine, not Rosa's, and the mine-ness is no longer rebellion or departure — it is contribution. My contribution to the library. My page in the book.

The enfrijoladas I described above are mine — three attempts, a library cookbook, and a bean sauce I finally got right. That same season, this taco salad was circling the weeknight rotation for the same reason: it is fast enough for school nights when Isabella is color-coding her whiteboard until midnight and Diego is measuring airflow in a model building on the kitchen table. It is built from pantry staples, it feeds everyone without complaint, and it is the kind of recipe that starts borrowed and ends up yours. That’s the whole project, isn’t it — making things yours, year by year, until the notebook is full.

Taco Salad

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

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 packet (1 oz) taco seasoning
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 1 cup tortilla chips, crushed
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
2. Season the meat. Reduce heat to medium. Add taco seasoning and water, stirring to coat. Simmer 3–4 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef. Remove from heat.
3. Build the base. Divide chopped romaine evenly among four large bowls or plates.
4. Add the toppings. Spoon seasoned beef over the lettuce. Top with black beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and avocado.
5. Add crunch and finish. Scatter crushed tortilla chips over each bowl. Add shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and a spoonful of salsa.
6. Serve immediately. Squeeze a lime wedge over each bowl and garnish with cilantro if desired. Serve right away so the chips stay crisp.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 24g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 9g | Sodium: 890mg