Originally, I had nothing for y'all since we were eating lefties and making quickie meals all week, such as taco meat and Wanchai Ferry Orange chicken. Package meals serve their purpose provided you add your own meat and veg. That way you have control over the quality and quantity of the added ingredients. Some of you might not have as large of a selection of spices that I do and McCormick has a few new products that provide you with the herbs and spices needed to make a particular dish. All you have to do is add the meat and veg.
Yes, you can simply buy a package of taco seasoning, but then you have to try different products to see which one works for you (I'm a fan of McCormick's HOT taco seasoning). Or you can make your own. I tend to double it and make 2 pounds of taco meat because it freezes well. Try to find 90% lean ground beef or less. I've never tried ground turkey, but with all the seasonings in it your family probably wouldn't know the difference unless you told them!
Taco Meat
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbls. dried minced onion
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
3 Tbls. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. salt
cayenne pepper
3/4 cup water
Brown ground beef, drain fat. Add onion and spices, stir to coat. Add water and bring to simmer. Cook mixture, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Adjust seasonings according to taste.
We tend to leave it a little on the wet side instead of cooking until dry.
All you need are crispy tacos or flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and salsa. Enjoy!
Before there was 90% lean, I cooked the hamburger meat until the pink is gone, put in a sieve then ran hot water over briefly. This removed most of the fat that would have congealed if cooled.
ReplyDeleteI like to do big batches of meat sauce and freeze into smaller.
Thanks for the taco recipe!
I used to do that, too, Meg! It's still a great way to cut the fat from some products.
ReplyDeleteSince the kidlet swims almost daily, I have to feed her no later than 5-5:30. The name of the game has been quick nutrition. Many of the parents don't feed their kids until after practice (7:30), but I think that's way too late especially when they are going to bed at 9:00!