Tremendous Tacos

Check out my recipe for these tremendous tacos, posted  on An Avocado A Day’s blog!

Inspired by Hearty Catering, this recipe is a sell-out every Thursday at CCNM. So much so, they made Taco Mondays – although that doesn’t sound half as cool as Tremendous Tacos! What makes this recipe extra great with a little kick – is the wonderful avocado dressing. I was even more inspired to come up with this recipe after reading the nutritional label on Old El Paso Taco mix – yikes! Check out what’s in the mix you would buy at the grocery store:

• Chili pepper, salt, maltodextrin, spice, onion powder, corn startch, yellow corn flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, yeast extract, silicon dioxide (anticaking agent), sunflower and/or cottonseed oil, natural flavor, ethoxygquin (preservative)

First of all, what is spice?! Why can’t they just say what it is? The mysterious ‘spice’ always throws a question mark up in my mind. And partially hydrogenated oils are full of trans fats that cause heart disease and other undesirable health effects. And do we really need to eat silicon dioxide and ethoxygqin? So, as always – I ask if something that is processed can be made at home, healthier and to taste just as good – and here we are! Homemade tacos at their best.

If you prefer, you can omit the tortilla and serve the fixings and dressing over a bed of lettuce and enjoy a taco salad – gluten free!

Ingredients:

Taco Seasoning

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then store in an airtight container. If you’re not a spicy loving person, reduce or omit the red pepper flakes.

Avocado Dressing

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• A pinch of Salt and pepper

To prepare the avocado dressing, you need a food processor or blender, or a mean mixing hand. Add all of the ingredients together and mix until well blended. It should form a smooth, but thick dressing to use on top of the tacos.

Taco Essentials

• Ground beef or chicken (about 1 lb)
• 1/3 cup Green lentils (optional – makes the recipe go a little further)
• 1 Onion, chopped
• Lettuce
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• Tortillas (Gluten Free Tortillas, if desired)

Directions

Prepare the taco mix as described above

Get the lentils going first – rinse them, then put in a pot with about 4 cups of water. Turn the element up on high to bring to the verge of boiling – the trick to not lentils to go mushy is to turn the pot down to minimum right before the lentils boil and remove the cover of the pot. That way, they don’t get tossed around in the boiling water and stay nice and together. They shouldn’t even look like their cooking – but keep them on the element for about 25-30 minutes.

Chop the onion and add it into a big pan with your ground meat. Brown the meat on medium-high with the onion until cooked. Add the taco seasoning, with a little bit of water to help dissolve the seasoning and mix it into the meat. I usually add all of the seasoning, but you can add a little and then more later after a taste test.

Once the lentils are cooked, you can add them to the meat, mixing well. Add a little more seasoning and a bit of water to mix if desired.

Don’t forget to chop the tomato and lettuce for dressing! Other fun toppings include grated carrot and beet.

Once everything is ready, serve it up! Layer the fixings on the tortilla and enjoy! Buen apetito!