Authentic Tacos

Delicious Authentix Tacos from Scratch

Here's the thing...tacos never make it to my weekly meal list because they never seem creative enough  but somehow we end up eating them all of the time. Why? Because they are the perfect meal solution for those days where time catches up with you and you have no idea how you're going to make it home in time to make your family dinner. These are delicious, authentic and get this...take only 20 minutes to make. Truth be told I planned on making stuffed red peppers with vodka sauce for dinner....something new I've not tried yet. Note to self...venture new meals on the weekends, not a Tuesday. And husband of the year award goes to Josh because he made dinner, not me. 

Okay here we go...

First off, gather up all of your taco seasoning packets and jars and put them on the counter. Take a good look at them...Now throw them away and never look back. Once you hand-season, I doubt you ever go back to those MSG-filled pre-made seasonings anyhow! 

Second of all, the below ingredients are on my "staples list" of things I always get at the grocery store. If you follow my recipes, you will probably use them all the time in all sorts of dishes, just like I do. Again, I did not plan to make tacos. But if you always have the right things in your fridge, you can pop out delicious meals on a whim.

What you'll need:

These spices should be on your "must have always" list:

Cumin

Red Chili Powder

Sea Salt

Garlic Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Ground Beef (I use lean, grass-fed)

Roma Tomatoes, Chopped

Red Onion, Chopped

Avocado, Halved and Sliced

Jalapeño, Seeded and Chopped

Cilantro

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I always have Monterey cheese in the fridge but if I'm feeling fancy I'll buy queso fresco and crumble it over the top. It's a salty and moist cheese, and I absolutely love it)

Sour Cream

Corn Tortillas (Flour is good too, but I'm a corn fan. Flour is good to always keep around for wraps and mini pizzas for your kids).

Cook your lean ground beef and keep working with your spatula until it is in fine crumbles. I have an x-shaped plastic masher and it works perfectly for taco meat. I never have to drain grease as the lean grass-fed beef cooks perfectly. Once meat is about 95% cooked (everything should just have turned brown by now), use a light sprinkle and cover your entire pan in cumin. Stay light. Then give it another round with red chili powder. Then, lightly sprinkle sea salt and just a pinch of garlic powder. Now mix and cook meat for another minute or so and taste. I always add in more cumin and chili powder. I like mine on the slightly saltier side so I always add more salt. It usually ends up being 4 parts cumin, 4.5 parts chili powder, 1 part salt and .5 part garlic powder. My suggestion...start light on everything. You will always put more cumin and chili powder in...it's hard to over season with those things. You want your meat reddish. To top it off, I sprinkle in a little cayenne to give it a subtle kick. Taste is key. Do what you like!

Once meat is ready, and veggies are all chopped and prepared, warm your tortillas on the oven in a lightly greased pan. I also like baking mine on the oven rack at 350 for a minute or so. You will have the perfect crisp! Sometimes I put the cheese on before warming to so it's nicely melted.

Top with tomatoes, onion, fresh cheese, jalapeños, avocados, sour cream and cilantro.

Improvise as needed and enjoy!