My mother's taco salad recipe is as follows . . .

1 can red kidney beans

1 can garbanzos/chickpeas

1 large bag Doritos taco chips (store brands are OK, but not as good)

1 pound of ground hamburger (I normally use ground sirloin or round since either has less fat than regular hamburger)

8-12 oz. of shredded cheese (preferably American, Colby jack, etc., not Swiss)

1 bottle of Italian salad dressing

12-16 oz. of fresh tomatoes

1 head of lettuce (iceberg works well, is cheaper, but Romaine is healthier, has more vitamins)

1 packet of taco seasoning mix

(Shredded onion is optional, but it makes it more bitter)

First, brown the hamburger, and drain the grease from the pan. Then follow the directions on the taco seasoning mix packet: Normally add (say) 3/4 cup of water and pour in the packet into the fry pan, and then add the browned hamburger. Mix the meat with the sauce created by the taco mix, which amounts to a quick if heated marinating process. The meat, when the water has been mostly evaporated away by cooking, should then be put into the refrigerator for cooling if you intend to serve it soon.

While this cooking process proceeds, cut up and dice the tomatoes and then shred and cut up the lettuce. Grate the cheese, if you bought it as a chunk rather than shredded up already. Open and drain the cans of chickpeas and kidney beans.

When combining the ingredients, it's best to add the taco chips (crunched up some first) and lettuce last before adding the Italian salad dressing. This is because these will "wilt" first or become (yuck!) soggy more quickly, I believe, when hit directly with the salad dressing at the end of the mixing process. Here this recipe has the problem that occurs when milk is put on cereal: There is a time issue involved. You can't let it set out too long after putting the salad dressing on it, or else the taco chips start to become soggy and the lettuce begins to wilt. So if you intend to transport this dish and not serve it immediately, carry the ingredients in separate bags or storage containers.

There's another important issue concerning this recipe: This is intended to serve a large family as its main course. If one is cooking for just 2 or 3 people, it's best to half the recipe, or even quarter it, and save the extra ingredients cut up or taken out of the cans in separate plastic bags or plastic containers. It isn't a good idea to put the salad into the refrigerator all mixed up to save it for the next day as left overs or even for an hour before serving, since the chips and lettuce begin to (well) become yucky, as explained above. You'll want to pick out the soggy chips then, etc.

I admit this isn't a cheap meal, especially if you buy the ingredients at a regular grocery store or (worse) a health food store. I have typically bought the salad dressing and most of the other ingredients besides the meat at Save-a-Lot or Aldi's, which are cut-rate grocery stores, if I plan ahead at all. (I often keep some basic ingredients, such as the Italian salad dressing, the beans, and taco spice mix, "in stock" at all times since they don't spoil easily like the fresh vegetables and can be bought long in advance).