Tacos

OK, so we've all used those little sodium packets to make tacos, right... Ever wonder what's in there? The basic flavourings in taco seasoning is cumin, oregano, paprika, and salt. When I say salt, I mean a TON of salt. You don't need to use salt to make great tacos though.


The seasoning is easy to make.

3 TBSP Cumin

1 TBSP Oregano

1 TBSP Garlic Powder

1½ TBSP Paprika

1 TSP Onion Powder (you can use dehydrated onion flakes too... nice variation)

1 TSP Chilli Powder

½ TSP Coriander (ground or flakes)

½ TSP Corn Starch

More Cumin to taste, salt and pepper to taste.

Use 2lbs of your favorite ground meat. Brown the meat in a large skillet, and drain out the excess fat. You can cook the meat all the way through, even burn it a little for extra flavour. Ground meat caramelizes nicely as long as you keep it moving. Dice an onion in there with it after you've drained the fat.

Put all of your spice mix together in a 2 Cup measuring cup, and add water until the spices and cold water reach the 1 Cup mark. Mix the spices and water well, as the Corn Starch will clump up if you don't.

Pour the spices over the browned meat, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Do not cover, you want the heat to steam off some of the water.

Taste it!

At this point you can add more Cumin, salt and pepper to your taste.

There are different approaches you can take to this recipe. You can eliminate the Corn Starch by leaving the meat and spice mixture to braise in the skillet for 15-20 minutes, reducing the water content by cooking it off instead of using the starch to thicken it. The starch will make the spices more gravy-like. If you prefer a drier taco, cook off the water and eliminate the starch.

There is more to tacos than beef, too! Try using a mixture of pork and chicken instead.

We like peppers and onions on our tacos. I like to cook 2 large onions (cut into strips) on low heat with enough butter or olive oil to coat them. Cook them until they get nice and sweet (15-20 minutes... seriously!). Once they are caramelized and sticky, throw in 2 diced-up peppers (red, green, yellow... doesn't matter) and heat just until the peppers are warmed all the way through. Add some fresh ground pepper into the mix.

Serve the meat and peppers over warm tortillas, with salsa, hot sauce, lettuce, cheese... and enjoy!