Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Taco! Taco! Taco!

Tacos are one of my favorites foods.  My mother was very adventurous when we were young and having tacos made at home by her was my very first experience with eating ethnic foods.  I know that may sound ridiculous to some of my younger readers, but the sixties and seventies, when I was growing up, were very different times than what we are living in today.  I loved tacos then and I love them now.  The problem is the taco shells.  There are around 8 carbs in a medium hard taco shell.  I prefer the hard shells.  But hard or soft, they have carbs and for me, that is a problem.  So I make tacos and eat them without the shell.  Is it still really a taco without the shell?  Probably not.  It's just a bowl of ground beef with toppings.  But it is still delicious and here is how I do it.


We start with a pound of ground beef.  I get the ground beef with the higher amount of fat in it because it is more flavorful.  Lightly brown that until just no longer pink and drain off the fat.


Add 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup McCormick Taco Seasoning Mix to the ground beef.  Mix it well, cover and simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.


Remove the lid and stir the ground beef to fully incorporate the seasoning.


Find a bottle of Taco Sauce.  I love this Ortega Mild Taco Sauce.  Then add what you like - shredded lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and taco sauce for me.  You could add freshly chopped onions, sliced black olives, finely diced jalapeno, sour cream, etc.  You could even crumble some tortilla chips if you are looking for the crunch of the traditional taco shell but are watching the carbs.  Just a little of the tortilla chips in that case.  I opted not to add any chips to this bowl.


And there you have it.  A delicious bowl of ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning and healthy additions. This really is a splendid dish.  I know it sounds incredibly simple, but sometimes simple is best.  It's a great thing to have for lunch or dinner on the weekend.  Give it a try.

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