Make the dressing by adding the tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, garlic, and optional jalapeno to a blender. Blend starting on low and working up to medium speed. When the dressing is still chunky, start adding the avocado oil in while the motor is running in a thin steady stream until all the oil has been added, and the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with sea salt, and set the dressing aside while you assemble the salad.

Place the romaine, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, and avocado into a large serving bowl. Set the bowl along with the plantain chips, and or chips of choice aside until the taco meat is done.

Preheat a large 9-10″ cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the ground beef, and using a metal spatula, break up the meat into fine small pieces as it cooks.

When the meat is almost done, add the taco seasoning, and cook until the beef is cooked through. From here, I like to add the meat to the salad while it’s still fairly hot and toss with the dressing and crushed chips, but this is just personal preference.

You can also make the meat before the other parts of the recipe to allow it to cool before adding it to the salad. Or you can serve everything separately for each person to assemble their own taco salad. If you know you’ll have leftovers, it’s best not to toss the salad together, (especially with hot meat) because it becomes quite soggy in the refrigerator.