Taco Meat and Beans

I cannot make a taco beautiful enough to photograph. Imagine this in a taco.

Starting in about middle school, I developed three cooking specialties: fat-free cakes with green food coloring (they tasted just as good as they sound), tofu stir-fries, and taco meat. My taco meat method used to be to combine a little bit of every liquid condiment in the refrigerator: ketchup, mustard, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, and perhaps an odd salad dressing or other specialty item. The adult version is more subtle, but it still has ketchup. I've tried working from fresh tomatoes instead, but the tomato+sugar+vinegar+smoothness of the ketchup wins.

Through my various periods of vegetarianism, I've usually maintained a taste for two meat items: pepperoni pizza and my homemade taco meat. However, the taco meat has gradually gained more non-meat items and I really like this version which is about 50% beans and vegetables. Adjust the meat to bean ratio to your liking; it works fine with all meat if you'd prefer.

The Recipe:

1 lb ground beef (I use the leanest I can find)

1 1/2 cans black beans, or the equivalent in cooked dry beans

1 onion, chopped finely

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 stalks celery, chopped finely

other vegetables if available: red bell pepper, corn

1/4 c pickled jalapeno slices, minced

1/4 c pickled jalapeno juice (from the jalapeno jar)

1/4 c ketchup

1 tb chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Brown the ground beef in olive oil over medium heat. Drain fat if more than a trace has collected at the bottom of the pan.
Add the onion, garlic, celery, jalapenos, and other vegetables if using. Turn up heat to medium-high and stir until the onion softens.
Add all other ingredients and stir well. Simmer at least 5 minutes; I often leave it simmering for an hour to let the flavors meld together.
Serve with taco shells, lettuce, guacamole, cheddar cheese, and chopped onions... or with different taco stuff if you prefer, but my list is the best way.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: A

Overall reason: Easy, tasty, inexpensive, and it gets me to eat protein

Time to prepare: 15 minutes

Husband quote: "Good." (He said this about 4 separate times between bites.)

Comments

Kitchen renovation!

BEFORE: AFTER: Still to come: a beautiful new induction range and some wood shelving on the left side, above the backsplash. And maybe the shelving unit on the wall facing the cabinets should be green, but we're going to live with a while before making that decision.

Red lentil dal

Cucumber salad is key. This dal is perfect. Most of us took seconds, and I'm really excited to eat the last portion that's sitting in the fridge right now. The accompanying salad is really great for adding texture, crunch, and acidity to the meal. I wouldn't skip it. I got it from Tea for Turmeric and prepared it pretty much as written, but doubled and with none of the optional ingredients. This recipe doesn't mention any seasoning/dressing on the salad, but adding lemon and salt to it really brightened things up. The Recipe: (from Tea for Turmeric) 2 c red lentils splash of avocado oil 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 small onions, finely chopped 1 inch ginger, grated 4 small tomatoes, chopped 2 thai chilies, minced 2 tsp cumin powder 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp turmeric 2+ tsp kosher salt 2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 c cilantro, chopped For serving: basmati rice and plain yogurt Salad ingredients: 1/2 english cucumber, sliced 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/4 onion, slic...

Curry Fried Rice

Excited for these leftovers. One of the things I wanted to try with my new jar of curry powder was fried rice. Years ago, Miles got fried rice at Korea House and it was the best fried rice I'd ever had. I suspected there was curry powder in it, but at that time I had never really cooked with curry powder, so I tucked that knowledge away for a later date. After reading a few recipes, I went rogue on this one. I couldn't even begin to effectively guess at what proportions I ended up with, so the recipe below is more of a rough guideline of ingredients. The "Recipe" (sorry no quantities; follow your heart): leftover jasmine rice tofu, cubed and crisped in the oven with avocado oil and salt vegetables: garlic, onion, cabbage, red bell pepper salt curry powder (I used a Vietnamese one) soy sauce sugar sesame oil future topping ideas: runny egg, sesame seeds, green onion Saute the vegetables in avocado oil until softened, and salt them to taste Add the tofu and toss to...

Adventures of a healthy-ish pseudo-foodie

Search This Blog