It felt like the mercury was off the charts today on the South Shore. It was so oppressive, even I didn’t feel like eating — and that’s saying something. Although I think I could have rallied to hit the Del’s Lemonade truck at the farmer’s market down the street. Maybe.

The reality is I still had to make dinner. But what? The last thing I wanted to do was turn on the stove or even fire up the Weber. Even a zombie walk by the prepared food case at Whole Foods didn’t inspire me.

I have no idea how I settled on making taco salad. But I’m glad I did. Yes, it still meant I needed to turn on the stove — but at least not for very long!

So I grabbed 1 lb. of ground turkey, romaine lettuce, a small container of store-made guacamole, a can of black beans, a package of shredded Monterey Jack cheese and a bottle of wild salmon oil capsules (not for the recipe).

When the sun went down and my husband came home, I cranked up the fans, took out the saute pan and browned the turkey with 1/2 c. of chopped onion.

In a glass measuring cup with 1/2 c. of warm water, I mixed in taco spices (2 t. onion powder; 1 t. chili powder; 1/2 t. dried red pepper; 1/4 t. oregano; 1 t. salt; 1/2 t. cornstarch; 1/2 t. garlic powder and 1/2 t. cumin). It was then poured into the pan.

I simmered the turkey and spicy liquid until the sauce thickened. (If your spice rack is lacking, an envelope of Simply Organic Southwest Taco Mix is a good substitute.)  And then — with a dramatic turn of the wrist — I turned off the gas burner. Phew!

Meanwhile, I chopped romaine lettuce as well as half each of a yellow, green and red pepper followed by two heirloom tomatoes. Black beans drained and washed. Check.

This is how I assembled the salad : lettuce, meat, tomatoes, chopped peppers, black beans, spoonfuls of guacamole around the edge, a sprinkle handful of cheese and Garden of Eatin’ Sesame Blues chips around the plate.

While in my “World War Z” state at the Whole, I forgot the salsa and the low fat sour cream, but supper was declared a hot weather hit. So try it. It’s quick, easy and worth the 10 minutes of cooking time on the stove.

Now, about tomorrow night…

Tags: #hotweathercooking, #salad, #WholeFoods