Fiesta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 (2-ounce) package onion soup-and-dip mix
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 large ripe avocados
• 1 (8-ounce) container French onion dip
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 (9-ounce) bag tortilla chips, divided
• 2 (5-ounce) packages mixed salad greens
• 1 (12-ounce) jar pico de gallo or chunky salsa
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced ripe black olives, drained
• Garnish: tomato wedges

Preparation

1. Cook ground beef and pork in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and return to skillet. Stir in 3/4 cup water, onion soup-and-dip mix, and chili powder; reduce heat, and simmer 6 to 7 minutes or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, and set aside.
2. Cut avocados in half. Scoop pulp into a bowl; mash with a fork just until slightly chunky. Stir in onion dip and lemon juice. Coarsely crush half of tortilla chips.
3. Spread crushed chips evenly in 8 serving dishes; top with salad greens, meat mixture, and avocado mixture. Spoon 1/4 cup pico de gallo onto each salad, and sprinkle evenly with cheese and olives. Garnish, if desired. Serve immediately with remaining half of chips.
4. Note: For testing purposes only, we used Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Recipe Soup & Dip Mix for onion soup-and-dip mix.