By Irene Hayton

If you do not have an ileocecal valve problem, this is a salad that you can eat even in cooler temperatures because the lettuce is combined with “warming foods” such as cooked ground turkey or chicken.

  • 2 teaspoons (10 ml) coconut oil
  • ¼ cup (50 ml) chopped onion
  • 1 pound (500 g) lean ground turkey or chicken breast
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ¼ cup (50 ml) water
  • 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon (2 ml) chili powder
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) tomato paste
  • 6 cups (1.5 L) torn Romaine lettuce leaves
  • 2 medium or 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • chopped fresh cilantro, to taste
  • ¼ to ½ cup (50 to 125 ml) grated reduced-fat Cheddar cheese or soy cheese
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 1 avocado, peeled and diced

Dressing:

  • low-fat plain yogurt
  • mild salsa

Heat a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the coconut oil and onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the ground turkey and garlic and cook until the turkey is no longer pink. Drain off any fat and return the pan to low heat. Add the water, cumin, chili powder, and tomato paste; mix well and simmer for about 10 minutes, adding more water as needed to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan. Taste and adjust seasoning, if desired. Remove from the heat and leave it to cool off while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Place the lettuce, tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, cheese, and sea salt in a large salad bowl. Add the cooled ground turkey mixture and mix well. Add the avocado and toss gently. To make the salad dressing, mix together low-fat plain yogurt and mild salsa, to taste (try 2 parts yogurt to 1 part salsa and adjust to your preference). Allow each person to add the dressing to his/her own salad. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Optional: Add sliced black olives and/or tortilla chips (break into small pieces). Choose tortilla chips that are made without hydrogenated vegetable oil.