Layered Taco Salad with Refried Beans, Ground Beef and Avocado Salsa

This is a really great and super simple recipe to satisfy your Mexican craving in a more healthy way.  I actually came up with this dinner because I did not have time (or more accurately, the energy) to make a different version of this dish which bakes in the oven for about 20-30 minutes and is smothered in much more melted cheese.  This is more of an instant gratification layered taco casserole, but with a fresh avocado salsa which makes it a salad...right?  It is also great because instead of a giant casserole, this can easily be made in individual portions.  

I started by browning 1 pound of ground round beef and draining off the excess fat.  To flavor the meat, I added a variety of chili powders including chipotle, ancho and pasilla as well as cumin, coriander, mexican oregano, garlic powder and salt and pepper.   A tablespoon or two of ketchup and about 3/4 cup of water made a spicy taco sauce for the beef to simmer in for about 15 minutes.  Once the sauce has reduced enough so that the taco meat is thick it is ready.  

The hot beans and ground beef needed  a little fresh salsa to liven them up.  So, I chopped 1 beautifully ripe tomato and added that to a mixing bowl with chopped onion, halved plump black olives, chopped avocado, pickled jalapeno slices, chopped cilantro, fresh lime juice, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of cumin and healthy sprinkle of coarse salt.  Stir to combine and let sit for just a minute before eating.

Into my little cute shallow bowl (which is actually the base of tiny, tiny tagine) I added a couple of spoonfuls of heated refried beans and topped with the taco meat, monterey jack cheese and a big spoonful of the fresh avocado salsa.  A dollop of sour cream finished it off perfectly.  Serve with blue corn tortilla chips and plenty of hot sauce.