Fresh, Light, New Year's Delight

This time of year, we're all trying to eat a little healthier - whether we've overindulged regularly or not. Salads always come to mind, but they can also get tired. Overplayed. But not the taco salad. Only problem is, the shell is deep fried and then stuffed with high-fat meats and cheeses. Oh, and there's the fat-laden dressing. The good news is, it's easy to make your own “taco bowls” without deep frying in oil. Once that's done, you can fill the shells with whatever you want. I like to use the flavored tortillas for this dish but you can use regular flour or whole grain tortillas instead.

Chicken Taco Salad in Sundried Tomato Bowls

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes

4 (10-inch) low-fat sundried tomato and basil flour tortillas

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups shredded Romaine lettuce

3 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken (such as rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted or grilled chicken)

1 cup prepared salsa

1/3 cup light ranch dressing

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 

Gather four pieces of aluminum foil, each about 20 inches long.  Starting from the long side, roll the pieces into 1-inch thick rolls.  Twist the ends together to make four circles.  Place the foil circles on a baking sheet and press the tortillas into the circles, allowing the tortilla to hang over the edges.  Brush the tortillas with olive oil.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until tortillas are crisp.  Cool slightly. 

Top tortilla “bowls” with the shredded lettuce and chicken.  Combine the salsa and ranch dressing and spoon the mixture over chicken and lettuce. 

Nutrients per serving: Calories: 491, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Carbohydrate: 47g, Protein: 32g, Fiber: 3g, Sodium: 1023mg