Leftovers Become a Fabulous Taco Salad

I have learned a valuable piece of information.  Six pounds of ground turkey is plenty when serving tacos to 30-some college students; I cooked 12 pounds!  Tonight I am turning that leftover tray of meat into a Taco Salad as well as Taco Soup.  So what if my soup and salad are sort of the same flavor, right?

Our favorite Taco Salad is a combination of many recipes, two of them from Judy and Tiffany.  Here's my mix:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/3 C taco seasoning
3/4 C water
1- 15oz. can kidney or black beans, rinsed and drained 
2-3 heads of romaine lettuce, in small pieces
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 avocados, diced
a couple of good handfuls of finely shredded cheese (probably about 2 cups)
1- 16 oz. bottle of 1,000 Island salad dressing
tortilla chips, crushed

Cook the meat thoroughly.  Drain the fat.  Add the seasoning and water.  Set aside.  Drain and rinse the beans.  Set aside.
Wash and prepare the veggies.  Put into a large bowl for serving.  Add the cheese, beans and meat.  Pour about 1/2 or more of the dressing over the salad and mix well.
After serving, garnish with crushed tortilla chips.  The leftovers will keep better without the tortilla chips in the salad.

For my once-a-month cooking, I simply prepare and freeze the meat, combining the rest of the ingredients fresh.  This is a favorite summer entree.