Chipotle Black Bean Salad

Oh my goodness.. my lunch today was so tasty!  If you are a regular reader of The Best Blog Recipes you probably already know that I've been on a journey to lose weight and that I'm down 50 pounds (you can read my story here)!  Each and every day I have to make healthy decisions about the things I am going to eat  and sometimes it's pretty darn challenging.

I love mexican food and get serious don't mess with me cravings.  But my mexican food cravings come with some seriously unhealthy eating habits too.  I could eat my weight in chips & salsa and don't get me started on tortillas & rice. 

See my problem you guys.

I'm a mexican food-a-holic!   

I've never been much of a salad eater either until recently.  I've figured out that you can do a lot more with salad then just dump some ranch dressing on it.

So I've been busy experimenting and have come up with some pretty amazing salad recipes.  One of my favorites is Chipotle Black Bean Salad for lunch!  Yummy!

Chipotle Black Bean Salad Recipe Ingredients

(this recipe makes 2 large salads) 

Mixed Salad Greens

1 can of black beans, cooked & drained

1/2 teaspoon Mexican Chipotle Chilie Pepper Seasoning

1/4 seasoning garlic salt

4-5 tablespoons salsa, divided

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup shredded monterey/colby jack cheese

5 strips of turkey bacon, cooked & slightly cooled

1 cup of mushrooms, chopped

Directions

Bring your black beans to a boil in a small sauce pan.  Add your Chipotle Chilie Pepper & garlic salt seasonings.  Cook until beans are tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain the beans and let cool for about 5 minutes so that they don't "cook" your lettuce... because that's yuckie when that happens.  Found that one out the hard way :(

* Make sure to divide everything evenly when assembling your salads.  

Put your mixed greens on a plate. Top the mixed greens with your cooled black beans & turkey bacon.  Add your mushrooms, green onions and shredded cheese. 

Top the salad with about 2-3 tablespoons of salsa depending on how much you like.  It goes a long way so be careful not to put too much on. 

Hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did! 

We've been busy sharing this recipe on many different blog link parties! For a complete list of where we like to party please visit the "Link Parties" tab at the top of the page :)

I'd also love for you to read about my amazing weight loss journey that I've been on over the past few months....  and check out my before & after weight loss pictures by visiting my other site

Ready 2 Lose Weight