Paleo taco salad | Recipe Renovator | Gluten-free, low-sodium, dairy-free, nut-free

A composed taco salad with a spicy dressing

Just because you might not eat grains or gluten any longer doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the flavors of a taco salad. Here, I made up a spice mix for the ground beef, adapted from one by Stephanie Manley of Copykat Recipes. Then I created a spicy dressing from hemp seeds, so it’s dairy free but still adds that creamy component that cheese or sour cream would normally provide. The platter is loaded up with vegetables, including bell pepper and green onions sauteed in the meat pan. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, just substitute 16 ounces of soy crumbles, beef substitute, crumbled tempeh, or TVP (1 cup dry plus 1 cup boiling water, let sit until absorbed) for the grass-fed beef. Otherwise, the recipe is vegan. If you are not on the migraine diet, my smoky-creamy almond sauce would be a fabulous dressing.

Suitable for:

low-sodium, migraine, gluten-free, reduced-sugar, nut-free, dairy-free diets. Vegan option given.

Paleo taco salad | Recipe Renovator | Gluten-free, low-sodium, dairy-free, nut-free

You might also like:

Homemade taco seasoning from Copykat Recipes
Chipotle chicken taco salad from Cooking Light
Tasty taco salad with creamy cilantro-lime dressing on Stupid Easy Paleo

Paleo taco salad | Recipe Renovator | Gluten-free, low-sodium, dairy-free, nut-free

Paleo taco salad

3.91 from 41 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine Latin America, Mexican
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Creamy spicy dressing

  • 2 ounces hemp seeds (1/2 cup) raw, soaked for at least 4 hours
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
  • 2 tbsp water (filtered or spring)
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar use lemon juice if not on the migraine diet
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin (dried)
  • 1 sprig Italian flat-leaf parsley (fresh) or cilantro
  • 4 small cherry tomatoes

Taco seasoning

  • 2 tbsp chili powder preferably California chili powder
  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika (pimenton)
  • 1 tbsp cumin (dried)
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp onion powder (omit for migraine diet)
  • 1/2 tsp oregano (dried)
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder or cayenne

Salad

  • 16 ounces beef (grass-fed) ground (see above for vegan substitutes)
  • 2 bell peppers (capsicum), red and yellow, thinly sliced
  • 2 onions (green) scallions, spring onions, sliced on the diagonal
  • 4 cups romaine lettuce salad greens, spring mix
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • 3 radishes thinly sliced, or jicama cut into sticks

Instructions
 

Creamy spicy dressing

  • Soak the hemp seeds in filtered water for at least four hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly.
  • Place all dressing ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Taco seasoning

  • Mix all ingredients together until one color. This makes enough for two recipes.

Salad

  • Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, breaking up with a spoon and cooking until no longer pink.
  • Sprinkle 3 tbsp taco seasoning evenly over the beef and add one cup (200 ml) of filtered water. Stir to mix thoroughly. Continue to cook over medium heat until the moisture is gone and beef is cooked. Remove beef to a warm plate. Do not wipe out the pan.
  • Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil, or rendered bacon fat to the pan, tilting to coat evenly.
  • Sauté the peppers and the green onion for 10 minutes until golden and fairly limp.
  • To serve as shown, lay out ingredients on a large platter with the dressing on the side.