Everything is awesome when it’s Taco Tuesday and you’re part of the team. Taco Tuesday started at my house after a short-lived but fanatical obsession with the Lego Movie. Even though our monthly viewings of this epic movie have decreased lately, the Taco Tuesday tradition is still hangin’ on. I stopped using the junky taco seasoning packets from the grocery store a long time ago. I happened to read the label once and realized how much artificial gunk they contained. So I figured out how to make my own at home. It’s a really easy recipe, enjoy!
Start with 1 pound each of lean ground turkey and lean grassfed beef.
Add it to a large pot with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Use a straight edge spatula thingy and chop at both ground meats until they break into smaller pieces and mix well together. Sprinkle a little bit of sea salt and garlic powder on the meat. Keep stirring and breaking up the chunks until ALL the pink is gone and all the meat is browned.
Next take a 28 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and toss it in a blender. Measure out all your spices into either a bowl or just dump them straight in blender. I sometimes will do 2 bowls at once, then pack up one of them in a ziplock for faster tacos next week (simple recipe hack, we make these every week!).
= This
Add this spicy sassy sauce to the fully browned meat, mix well. Raise heat to medium high until it gets all bubbly yubbly, then lower heat again to as low as it goes. Then simmer on low until you’re ready! Then it’s taco bar time! Fun for a party. Fun for family dinner! And finally something you can easily customize to everybody’s tastes! I have one kid who loves tacos with just meat and cheese and will eat them until his stomach is about to pop. And the other kid likes nachos with lots of fixings. I like my taco tuesday meat with tortilla chips, black beans, extra veggies, guacamole, and salsa! The husband of course, will eat pretty much anything!
You can also customize it to your dietary preferences as well! You can make this recipe vegan by adding the spicy sauce to black beans to make vegan tacos! You can skip the tortillas and cheese and make it paleo – just add veggies like chopped peppers and spinach to the meat and you’re all set for a yummy paleo meal. You can make it gluten free by getting corn tortillas or GF whole grain tortilla chips. And you can make it dairy free by leaving out the cheese and sour cream. When in doubt, always add guacamole! That solves nearly everything for every picky eater you could possibly encounter at your Taco Tuesday party!
This Taco Tuesday treat is also great for leftovers too, reincarnated the next day as NACHOOOO WEDNESDAY. Yep, nope. Not the same ring. Nacho concoction? That’s better.
Fitness Post Modern’s
Healthier Taco Tuesday Spice Blend
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Remember it makes 2 pounds meat because my son and husband both have bottomless pits for stomachs and if they don’t crush the whole dinner on Tuesday, it makes great leftovers! You can easily make this recipe with just a 1 pound package of ground meat, just use 14 oz can of tomatoes and halve the spices!
