Lentil Taco Salad + OOTD's Restocked on Sale

I am always trying to think of fun vegetarian spins on meals we love.  I love any and all Mexican food and since I have been trying hard to cut back on carbs I knew I wanted a good salad for dinner last week.  I decided to sub beans in place of the taco meat and it was off the hook good.  The key is to use dried beans and slow cook them and then season them as you would your taco meat.  I absolutely loved this salad and will be making it again!

Enjoy!

L E N T I L  T A C O  S A L A D 

- 1 cup dried lentils cooked according to package

- taco seasning (see below for recipe)

- shredded romaine lettuce

- chopped cherry tomatoes

- 1 avocado diced, sprinkled with salt and lemon juice

- 3 ears corn, cooked and shucked

- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced soaked on ice water for 10 minutes

- 2 jalapenos sliced thinly

- Goddess dressing- I buy this at a local restaurant but also like the Annie's Organic Brand

- salsa and hot sauce for serving.

Cook the lentils according to the package and then season with taco seasoning.

I use this recipe to make my own:

[TACO SEASONING]

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

The beans will be spicy so add less of this seasoning if you don't want them quite as spicy.  

Boil the corn for about 15 minutes and then shuck it.  

Assemble all ingredients in a large bowl and then have everyone serve their individual bowls to their liking.

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I wanted to share a few of my recent outfits that are now reduced.

I love the pattern on this blouse and the fun flirty style.  I wore this floral blouse yesterday paired with my Twine and Twig Necklace.  I love the color combination of pink, blue and purples.  Runs slightly on the large side so if you are between sizes, size down.  I am wearing an XS.

Blouse

My Trina Turk suit is back in stock in only a few sizes.  It is still part of the Anniversary sale which ends the 8th.

TT Suit

One of my favorite beach Cover-ups is now reduced.  It also comes in a pretty blue color!  I am wearing a size XS. 

Piper Cover-up

Alice and Olivia Dress 

Such a great embroidered dress.  Runs TTS.

Marysia Suit

Size down as these stretch quite a bit, I have a small in this style.

Stripe Blouse

Now 50% off making it only $27. I am wearing a size small.

Mara Hoffman Swing Dress

Now 50% off.

Scroll through to see some other items just marked down at Shopbop.

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

I made this casserole a few weeks ago because it was voted Casserole of the year by Taste of Home Magazine. Plus lets be honest, I never met a Mexican dish I didn't love! This casserole certainly did not disappoint and the best part it was so simple to put together. If you are a Vegetarian I think this would be great without meat and you could just add another type of beans or an additional veggie. I also think it would be great with ground turkey or shredded chicken if you don't like red meat. It was cheesy and filled with so many great flavors! I love making casseroles because I can make them earlier that day and then just pop them in the oven. I usually make them during nap time and then I have more time to spend with Sterling and Matt when he gets home (and more time to sit and sip my glass of wine). I highly recommend this, it was super tasty!

I promise it tastes better than my sad picture looks, but wanted to show you our "real life" picture of the casserole.


CHEESY ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
Ingredients
•1 pound lean ground beef ( lean)
•1 large onion, chopped or season with Onion powder or minced onion
•2 1/2 cups salsa
•1 can (15 ounces) black beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
•1/4 cup reduced-fat Italian salad dressing
•2 tablespoons reduced-sodium taco seasoning
•1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
•6 flour or corn tortillas (8 inches)
•1 small can of drained corn, or about 1 1/4 cups of frozen corn
•3/4 cup sour cream
•2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or your favorite cheese
•1 cup shredded lettuce
•1 medium tomato, chopped
•1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro to garnish
• *Note: I cut the flour tortillas to fit my pan, since they were the very large size. I also added in a can of refried beans to the mix because I love refried beans. It is not in the original recipe but I thought it worked perfectly.

Directions
•In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
•Stir in the salsa, beans, corn, dressing, sour cream, taco seasoning and cumin.
•Spoon a generous layer of meat mixture on bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
•Place a flour or corn tortilla on top of meat mixture. Layer with half of the meat mixture, and cheese. Repeat as many layers as you like.
•The last & final layer should be a healthy dose of grated cheese.
•Cover with foil that has been sprayed with pam or other and bake at 400° for 25 minutes, or until hot & bubbly.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before topping with lettuce, tomato and cilantro. Yield: 8 servings

Top Two Photos and Recipe VIA

Greek Nachos + Stripes On Sale + Shop Loft Friends and Family Event Early!

Where have these nachos been all my life??  You see I love nachos but I have only really had the traditional kind piled high with Mexican goodness.   These nachos are different, healthy actually and so amazing.  Perfect for lunch, dinner or an appetizer.  I made my own pita chips by toasting the bread with oil and spices and they really take these nachos to the next level.  But if you are feeling lazy and want to skip a step store bought pita chips would work just fine.   I had all intentions of adding feta to this recipe but forgot, so add that on top if you want.  I think the feta would provide a nice creaminess with a slight salty edge.  I used soppressata as the meat on these because I had some left over but you could really use any type of salami, shredded chicken, or no meat at all.  These are best served right after you make them because the nachos will get get soggy the longer they sit.

This has all the flavors of my favorite Greek salad but piled on crispy pita chips!

Enjoy!

|| G R E E K  N A C H O S ||

- 4 whole wheat pitas

- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes diced

- 1 baby cucumber, diced

- 1/4 red onion diced

- 1/2 yellow bell pepper diced

- handful kalamata olives sliced

- handful pepperoncinis sliced

-soppressata or salami sliced into thin strips

- 1- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

- 1/2 cup good hummus

- 1/2 cup tzatziki

- olive oil

- salt, pepper and cayenne spices

Cut the pita into wedges.  Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil olive.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne.  Toast at 350 degrees about 10-15 minutes until crispy.  I turned them over once towards the end of the baking time just to slightly crisp the other side as well.

Place chopped tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives, and bell pepper in a bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with a little olive oil and the red wine vinegar and toss all together.

Remove pita chips from oven and let cool.  Assemble on a platter and top with chopped veggie mix and salami.  Then scoop on a large spoonful of hummus and tzatziki in the middle.  Top with sliced pepperoncinis and feta if desired.

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I showed this Alice and Olivia dress yesterday but today you can save $50 off the price with code INC50.   

Sizing wise I am wearing an XS, it ran slightly on the large side.

It is fully lined and I really like the cut of the dress and the bright stripes.  It looks great with wedges, flats or heels if you want a dressier look.

Alice and Olivia Dress  

I picked up this blouse over the weekend.  I saw it through the store window and fell in love with the bright neon stripes. As I have mentioned before Banana Republic is very hit or miss for me but I was pleasantly surprised with this blouse.  Sizing wise it is pretty TTS.  I tried on both the XS and small.  The XS fit but it was just a touch snug in my hips so I went with a small.  I don't mind a loose boxy fit in a blouse. The material is very nice and thick.  Plus the blouse is under $70.

Sunglasses are Sicky's a new brand to me, but I really like them.  They stay on my face and don't fall down like many Ray-Ban do.  

BR Blouse | Sunglasses

I also wanted to share The Loft Friends and Family Event starts a day early if you have a Loft card.  You can take 40% off everything.   Tomorrow it opens to everyone if you don't have a Loft card.

Use code PREVIEW

I am ordering this blouse and beach romper.

A few recent favorites.

Floral Shift (wearing size small)

I can't tell you how often I wear this.  It is great for church or during the day paired with flats.

Off Shoulder Blouse  (wearing XS)

Shirtdress (wearing size small)

Romper (wearing size small)