taco salad, sans taco

I saw something similar to this on the National Body Challenge on the Discovery Channel. One of the participants made something that looked like this at home and it sounded tasty. It's basically the makings of a taco salad, but uses turkey and skips the tortilla or chips for better health. We liked it enough to try it again another time. You can skip any ingredient you don't like or add other taco-salad-like ingredients you enjoy. We think next time we will try adding peppers to the turkey mixture to spice it up.

• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 3 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped or minced (minced if you like the taste a lot)
• 1 head of romaine lettuce, sliced into strips
  
• 1 c cheddar cheese, shredded (I hear the non-fat variety works well in this dish because it's all mixed together)
• 1 c salsa (heat of your preference)
• 1/2 c cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 c low-fat sour cream
• 14 oz black beans, rinsed and drained.
• dash of Espazote (optional; it is a Mexican spice frequently used with beans)
  

1. Saute the onions and garlic on high heat with a bit of water until they are translucent. Set aside.
2. Cook the ground turkey in the saute pan, adding the spices. When it is almost done (no more pink), add the onions and garlic back to the pan and mix together until the turkey is done.
3. Heat the beans with the espazote according to the can's instructions.
4. To serve, plate the turkey mixture, top with beans, then cheese, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and cilantro.

Serves 3-4.