Taco Salad

I never know if this is a meal that people know of or if it is some invention of my family. Some people have never heard of it, but many people have their own version of it. I've heard it called taco soup, mexican spree, mexican haystacks, but the concept is basically the same. We use chips, and top it with chili, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and whatever toppings we like. This time I also used the leftover Spanish rice. Here I will include the recipe for the chili. I always make a gigantic batch, and then freeze leftovers in ziploc bags.

2 c. dried pinto beans
2 c. dried black beans
1 large onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
1 can diced tomatoes with jalapeno (or other tomato product, or fresh)
2 T chili powder
2 T cumin
1 T oregano

Rinse beans and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and put the lid on and leave to soak for 1-24 hours. (It is not necessary to soak the beans this way, but if you do not soak it will take about 20-30 minutes longer to cook them.) Drain and rinse beans again, then add water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about one hour, adding more water if it gets dry. Add remaining ingredients (of course everything to taste) and simmer until onion is soft, about half an hour.

I've found that the only way to know if beans are really done is to taste them. I fish out one pinto and one black to see if they are at all mealy, and if they are I keep on cooking. If the chili is too watery, I add a can of refried beans or just get my potato masher and mash a bunch of the beans until it thickens up.

Ratings:

Everyone loves this, partly because you can put whatever you want on top. Meals that you can assemble yourself are good for picky families. Only the 4YO cannot be convinced to eat the chili, so we make her eat some vegetables before she has more "chips with cheese." Everyone else does pretty well balancing their own meal.