Taco Salads with Creamy Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

I LOVE taco salads. The kinds made with soft tortillas and not the fried kind. We love the wheat tortillas that you cook yourself, but now that we're transitioning to a wheat free household, I went without a tortilla. And honestly I really didn't miss the tortilla. It just left more room in my bowl for all the delicious fixings. 

A couple years ago I came up with a great recipe for a cilantro lime vinaigrette that was similar to the one at Cafe Rio, but with significantly less oil. This time when I made it, I added a half of an avocado. Such a huge improvement! The avocado gave it a creamy consistency and emulsified the dressing. This will now be my go to taco salad dressing. =)

Over the summer, Tommy was having an issue with awful diapers and we finally figured out that he had developed allergies to peas and beef (in addition to all of his other allergies). He tested positive on the skin prick test, but it was a small welt. I can't remember if we had been giving him traditional beef or grass-fed beef. So we decided to try grass-fed beef again. So far it's going ok. The jury is still out.

Ben grew up on a cattle ranch. His dad raises the most delicious beef ever. I really hope that Tommy is able to eat beef. If not now, then hopefully he'll outgrow this allergy soon. 

Lindsay's Taco Salads

Layer the ingredients in the following order:
Tortilla (Optional)
Cheese (Optional)
Some sort of seasoned meat
Sauteed Peppers and Onions
Lettuce
Avocado
Salsa
Creamy Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

This time we used grass-fed beef seasoned with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. And I sauteed a red bell pepper with an onion in a little oil with pepper, dry minced garlic and some red pepper flakes. Fajita seasoning also works great. 

Creamy Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

1 handful cilantro, large stems removed
1/2 half of an avocado
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.