Taco Salad in a (Microwaveable!) Tortilla Bowl

As I'm nearing the end of my apartment lease, meals have become an exercise in pantry-scouring. (My favorite form of exercise!) A slightly stale tortilla package led me to this gem of a technique.

But first, I'd like to thank my tiny apartment kitchen. Thank you for enduring my teaching myself to cook--which involved an ungodly gross combo of tuna and canned unsalted tomatoes, questionable chicken nuggets, and some sort of BBQ soy "meat" infused cornbread casserole.

Sweet baby Jesus.

I expect my grad school kitchen to be much different. My mind's eye shows poring over recipes while contemplatively sucking the stem of my black-framed glasses, pondering the merits of representative democracy, and sprinkling "heretofore" and "thusly" in common conversation.

Until then, I must deal with my pantry's sparse stock. And this is one heck of a delicious recipe to honor my teeny kitchen--with no soy meat in sight.

Taco Salad in a (Microwaveable!) Tortilla Bowl  Serves: 1
1 burrito sized tortilla
Handful of salad greens, torn
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 t. chile powder
1/4 t. cumin
1/4 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 green onion, sliced
Couple of jarred jalapeno rings, minced
Sour cream
1.) Place tortilla over a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 1 minute. Carefully (it's hot!) mold the tortilla around the bowl and cook for one more minute. Peel tortilla off of the bowl and set aside.
2.) Stir in chile and cumin powder to the black beans. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a microwave safe bowl and heat until warmed.
3.) Add the lettuce to the bottom of the bowl. Top with black beans, tomatoes, green onion, and jalapeno. Season with salt and a dollop of sour cream.