monday's mexican nite!

hola!! :D

most monday nights, we have mexican fare for supper.  usually its tacos or taco salad, cause i'm not daring enough to try to make chimichangas, which is hubby's fave. hehe. 

in the last few years, i've pretty much eliminated any pre-packed form of food in the house unless its a whole food or organic (the organic is important to me because i know there's no harmful preservatives and i can pronounce all the ingredients!).  so, one of the things i DONT use anymore, is store-bought taco seasoning.  its actually really easy to make at home!

now i'm not claiming to be the next food network star, here ;)  im not well-versed in authentic cuisine and spices or anything. hehe!  i just look around online for recipes to replace things i discontinue to use, and then adapt it to make it my own.  its fun! 

here's a quick recipe for seasoning for 1 pound of ground meat.  (if you make it in bulk, a little more than 3T is about what you need for 1 pound, at least to start with.)  its my basic recipe--but sometimes i add more of some of the ingredients if im in the mood for a diff taste! 

oh, and its not super spicy, so just play around with it til you get the taste you want.  this is just a starting point! of course there are plenty of other spices you could add as well. 

and if ya dont like mine, i still encourage you to replace what you currently use with something homemade.  its one simple step toward a healthier diet :D  i just dont know why i never thought of making this on my own before.  its easy and MUCH healthier than pre-made.  NO MSGS!!

Taco Meat Seasoning

Combine all ingredients and add to browned ground meat along with 2/3-3/4 cup water.  Bring to a boil then simmer until desired consistency, stirring often.

• 1T chili powder
• 2t onion powder
• 1t ground cumin
• 1t garlic powder
• 1t paprika
• 1t sugar
• few dashes cayenne
• 1/2t corn starch

another way i've spiced up meat for our mexi-meals is using a recipe for red enchilada sauce i got out of Nourishing Traditions.  it's made with dried Ancho chiles and tons of other supernummiful fresh stuff.  it's something you make a batch of, and then freeze it in cupfuls, and use one of the cups per pound of ground meat.  its DELISH and VERY healthy!! 

anyhoo...then i take soft corn tortillas and lay them lightly in a pan with a touch of olive oil, flip it over, spoon in some meat and fold it in half and brown both sides so its crunchy.  YUMMY!!  hmmm...i guess if i can do all that, i could probably make a chimi, too!  guess i'll have to try that next time :)  

of course then top them with your fave stuff--sour cream, green onions or pico de gallo, monterrey jack, guac, lettuce, salsa!

speaking of, time to get it started!  have a great monday night :D

buenas noches!

~josey~