As I covered a while back when I wrote about Cheesy Chili-Mac my Mondays are very busy and I don't have time to make time consuming recipes. This is when I turn to quick and easy dinners like Spicy Beef Tacos. This recipe can easily be made in 20-30 minutes.
Before I found this recipe I had always used the Old El Paso tacos in a box kits but I was never satisfied with the results. I had also eaten a lot of Taco Bell and Mexican like restaurant food but once I started my diet these habits had to stop.
The other problem with most Mexican like restaurant food is that it is bland and generic and has very little resemblance to authentic Mexican food. If you follow the recipe that I post below you will end up with tacos that are full of flavor, low in fat, and appealing to your whole family.
The three ingredients that you have to be most concerned with are diced tomatoes with green chilis, cumin and coriander, all of these can be found in the Mexican aisle of the ethnic section of your local grocery store. Diced tomatoes with green chilis are pretty self explanatory but in the recipe below the amount is listed as 1-1/2 cups which can be confusing. 1-1/2 cups is about 10 ounces but depending on the availability you might only be able to find it in 14.5 ounce cans.
If this is the case go ahead and use the larger can. Cumin is cultivated globally and is the second most popular spice in the world, black pepper is number one.
It is used in one form or another in every type of cuisine worldwide. In stores cumin is usually found as cumin seeds or ground cumin, in this recipe you want to use ground cumin. Coriander can be confusing because it comes from the cilantro plant and the names are commonly interchangeable. For clarification I use coriander to refer to the seeds from the cilantro plant and cilantro to refer to the leaves from the cilantro plant. In this recipe I am referring to ground coriander seeds which you should be able to find in a spice bottle labeled ground coriander. Although they are not listed in the ingredients you can add your own touch to these tacos by adding fresh chopped cilantro(leaves), scallions or tomatoes.
So now that we've covered the basics, let's jump into today's dinner.
Spicy Beef Tacos
Prep time 12 Min. Cook time 13 Min. Serves 4
Ingredients
3 sprays cooking spray, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 pound 93% lean ground beef
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1-1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes with jalapenos or green chilis
8 small corn tortillas
2 cups lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, sharp variety
1/3 cup fat free salsa
Instructions
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add beef; cook until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, salt and diced tomatoes, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Place tortillas on a flat surface. Top each with about 1/4 cup beef, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon cheese and 2 teaspoons salsa. Fold tortillas in half and serve.
*To toast tortillas, coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tortillas on top and coat with cooking spray. Heat in a 300f oven until slightly crisp but not too crisp that they break when folded.
This recipe yields two tacos per serving.
This recipe is wonderful for those times that you want something quick, easy, and that will please everyone. If you try this dinner check back here and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out.
Next week - Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar, Sweet Onions, and Thyme or Behind The Scenes.
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