Taco Tuesday

It's Taco Tuesday. Today's six taco recipes include Ground Beef Tacos with Spicy Shells and Slow Cooker Pulled Orange Chicken Tacos with Pickled Vegetables. Enjoy!

SPICY TURKEY TACOS

This is from Judy Kim on Delish and begins, “Thought ground turkey was blah? Think again.”

According to Delish, “Judy Kim is a NYC-based food stylist, recipe developer, and photographer. She also writes recipes for her website The Judy Lab.” Check out both Delish and The Judy Lab.

Total Time: 20 minutes; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 hard corn taco shells

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

4 tsp. Mexican seasoning

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 c. crushed tomatoes

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 c. grated mozzarella

1 c. Pico de Gallo

1 c. sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Place taco shells on a sheet pan.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil and add ground turkey; brown while breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season with Mexican seasoning, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Add garlic and onions; sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and cilantro and stir until warmed through. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.

Just before serving, bake taco shells until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Spoon spicy turkey mixture into taco shells and top with mozzarella, pico de gallo and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

GROUND BEEF TACOS WITH SPICY SHELLS

This is from Delish and begins, “Line taco shells with lettuce leaves so the filling stays put inside.”

Total Time: 25 minutes; Prep Time: 25 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves:4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/4 lb. ground beef (at least 90% lean)

3 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tsp. low-sodium beef bouillon base (we used Better than Bouillon)

8 small yellow corn tortillas (see box, below)

8 butter or iceberg lettuce leaves

2 tomatoes, chopped

Shredded cheddar, for serving

Directions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander and chili powder and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Increase heat to medium-high, add the beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring 2 minutes. Add the bouillon base and 1 cup water and gently simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

While the beef is browning, prepare the spicy taco shells (see tip, below). Line the tortillas with lettuce, fill with the beef, and top with the tomatoes and cheese, if desired.

Per Serving: 494 Cal, 28 g fat (7.5 g sat fat), 92 mg chol, 154 mg sod, 33 g prot, 29 g car, 5 g fiber

VEGAN TACOS

This recipe is by Taqueria Los Gorditos and was in the September 2009 issue of Bon Appetite. Makes 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 onion, sliced

2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño chile

1 12-ounce package soy chorizo (sometimes labeled Soyrizo), casing removed

1 15.4-ounce to 16-ounce can vegetarian refried black beans

12 corn tortillas, warm

Diced onion

Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and jalapeño; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add soy chorizo and cook until beginning to brown in spots, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook beans in heavy small saucepan over low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Stack 2 warm tortillas for each of 6 tacos. Spread scant 2 tablespoons beans over each stack. Top with soy chorizo mixture, dividing equally. Sprinkle with diced onion and cilantro.

CHEESY TACO MEATLOAF

This comes from Campbell’s Kitchen, begins, “It takes just 10 minutes and a few ingredients to put together this scrumptious meatloaf...and when it comes out of the oven you've got two family favorites, tacos and meatloaf, combined into one tasty dish!”

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 16 minutes; Serves: 8 people

To view this online, go to https://www.campbells.com/kitchen/recipes/cheesy-taco-meatloaf/.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

1 jar (16 ounces) Pace® Chunky Salsa - Mild or Pace® Picante Sauce - Medium

1 1/2 ounces tortilla chips, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

1 egg

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

Set the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly mix the beef, 1 cup salsa, tortilla chips, egg, chili powder, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Place the beef mixture into a 3-quart shallow baking pan and shape into an 9x4-inch loaf.

Bake for 1 hour or until the meatloaf is cooked through.

Spread the remaining salsa over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

CHARD AND SWEET CORN TACOS

This is from Martha Rose Schulman, in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Martha wrote, “These sweet and spicy tacos can be filled with chard of any color, or other greens like beet greens or amaranth. I used Swiss chard for these tacos, but other greens like beet greens or amaranth will work. I don’t recommend strong-tasting cruciferous greens like kale, though. You can use green chard, red chard or rainbow, and do include the stalks if they’re nice and wide. Don’t skimp on the garlic. As for the salsa, you can choose between fresh or cooked tomato salsa, or use a salsa verde made with tomatillos. They all work well. A quarter cup of filling is plenty for each taco.”

Yield: 8 tacos, serving 4; Time: 15 to 20 minutes.

This was featured in “Vegetarian Taco Night” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

1 generous bunch Swiss chard (about 3/4 pound)

Salt to taste

1 medium white, red or yellow onion, sliced

3 large garlic cloves, minced

Kernels from 2 ears sweet corn

Freshly ground pepper

8 warm corn tortillas

1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta (but not too salty a feta)

Salsa of your choice

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem chard and wash leaves in 2 rinses of water. Rinse stalks and dice them if they are wide and not stringy.

When water in pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add chard leaves. Blanch for a minute, then transfer to a bowl of cold water and drain. Take chard up by the handful and squeeze out excess water, then cut into 1/2-inch wide strips. Set aside.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring often, until onions are tender and beginning to color, about 8 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, diced chard stalks and corn kernels. Continue to cook, stirring often, until corn is just tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in chard and cook, stirring, for another minute or two, until ingredients are combined nicely and chard is tender but still bright. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Heat tortillas. Top with vegetables, a sprinkling of cheese and a spoonful of salsa.

Tip

Advance preparation: The filling will keep for a day in the refrigerator. Reheat gently in a skillet.

SLOW COOKER PULLED ORANGE CHICKEN TACOS WITH PICKLED VEGETABLES

This comes from the American Heart Association, and begins, “Here is a fantastic American/Southern, barbecue beef recipe that you can make a 'set-it-and-forget-it" feast of chicken tacos.”

Makes 4 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Crock Pot Orange Chicken:

1 large halved orange (with peel on)

3/4 cup sugar-free, 100% orange juice

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

14.5 oz canned, no salt added, diced tomatoes

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 clove fresh garlic (minced), OR 4 tsp jarred, minced garlic

2 medium onions (coarsely chopped)

1 medium bell pepper (any color) coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp dried, salt-free Italian seasoning

1 cup water

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 2 pounds), all visible fat discarded

For the Pickled Vegetables:

1/3 cup carrots (about 1/2 a carrot) cut into bite-size strips

1/3 cup cucumber (cut into bite-size strips)

3/4 cup red onion (about half an onion) cut into thin strips

1/2 fresh, diced jalapeño (about 1 tablespoon, for spice) optional

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar substitute/artificial sweetener

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp peppercorns

1/2 tsp coriander seeds (optional)

1 bay leaf

For the Tacos:

3/4 cup purple cabbage (shredded)

1/3 cup fat-free sour cream

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves (small handful)

8 small corn tortillas

Tip: Keep the leftover shredded chicken to make a next-day salad with fresh vegetables or in tortilla soup.

Directions

For the Crock Pot Orange Chicken:

Combine the orange, orange juice, chicken stock, tomatoes, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, garlic, the 2 medium onions, Italian seasoning, bell pepper and water in crock-pot.

Add chicken and submerge under mixture. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Remove chicken, tomatoes, onions and pepper from crockpot using a slotted spoon and discard cooking liquid.

When cool enough to touch, shred meat by hand or with two forks. Set aside until assembly.

For the Pickled Vegetables:

In a medium bowl, combine carrots, cucumbers and red onion; set aside.

Combine jalapeno (optional), 1/2 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, sugar substitute, salt, peppercorns, coriander and bay leaf in small saucepot and bring to boil.

Remove from heat and pour over vegetables. Let marinate for 15-30 minutes.

For the Tacos:

Fill each tortilla with 2 oz. (1/2 cup) chicken, approx. 1/4 cup pickled vegetables, 2 tsp. sour cream, cabbage and cilantro leaves for garnish.