Taco Tuesday

Yay! It's time for another Taco Tuesday. Today's yummy offerings include Grilled Mexican Chicken Caesar Tacos and Spicy Beef Tacos. Enjoy!

CHILI-LIME MUSHROOM TACOS

This comes from Taste of Home, and begins with this note from Greg Fontenot (The Woodlands, Texas), "I used to make this dish with beef, but substituting with portobella mushrooms turned it into my family's vegetarian favorite. It's quick, nutritious, low fat and tasty."

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes; Makes: 4 servings

View this online at https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/chili-lime-mushroom-tacos/.

Ingredients

4 large portobello mushrooms (about 3/4 pound)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into strips

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 tablespoons lime juice

8 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed

1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions

Remove stems from mushrooms; if desired, remove gills using a spoon. Cut mushrooms into 1/2-in. slices.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute mushrooms, red pepper and onion until mushrooms are tender, 5-7 minutes. Stir in garlic, seasonings, lime zest and juice; cook and stir 1 minute. Serve in tortillas; top with cheese.

Health Tip: Making these tacos with lean ground beef adds almost 4 grams of saturated fat per serving. That’s a good reason for a meatless taco Tuesday!

GRILLED MEXICAN CHICKEN CAESAR TACOS

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "Caesar salad has a whole new look, with all the same crunchy, creamy flavors you love, in these quick and easy tacos.'

Prep Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Makes 10 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/grilled-mexican-chicken-caesar-tacos.

Ingredient

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 package (0.85 oz) Old El Paso™ Chicken Taco Seasoning Mix

20 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1 package (10 count) Old El Paso™ Stand ‘N Stuff™ Taco Shells, heated as directed on package

1/3 cup bottled Caesar salad dressing

1/3 cup diced fresh tomato

1/4 cup cooked corn kernels

1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese

Lime wedges

Directions

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In gallon-size resealable food-storage plastic bag, mix oil and taco seasoning mix. Add chicken; seal bag. Shake until chicken is evenly coated. If not grilling immediately, place in refrigerator to marinate, up to 2 hours.

Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken on grill over medium heat (350°F to 400°F). Cover grill; cook 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F).

Transfer to cutting board, and cover loosely with foil; let rest 5 minutes, then chop.

Divide lettuce and chicken among heated taco shells; drizzle with dressing. Top with tomato, corn and cheese. Serve with lime wedges.

Expert Tips

Two tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese can be substituted for the queso fresco.

This recipe also tastes great in Old El Paso™ Soft Tortilla Bowls.

Use whatever kind of cooked corn you prefer. Canned, cooked frozen or cooked fresh corn all work well.

SOUTHWEST TURKEY TACOS

This is from Old El Paso, and begins, "Lean ground turkey, veggies and savory salsa meld in the slow cooker to make this deliciously easy taco filling."

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes; Makes 12 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/southwest-turkey-tacos.

Ingredients

1 package (20 oz) extra-lean ground turkey

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups Old El Paso™ Thick ‘n Chunky salsa

1 can (15 oz) Progresso™ black beans, drained

1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained, rinsed

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 boxes (4.6 oz each) Old El Paso™ taco shells (24 shells total)

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

3 cups chopped lettuce

3 medium tomatoes, chopped (1 1/2 cups)

Preparation

In 12-inch skillet, place turkey and onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no longer pink.

Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix turkey mixture, salsa, beans, corn and chili powder.

Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 7 hours.

To serve, heat taco shells in oven as directed on boxes. Stir cilantro into turkey mixture. Spoon about 1/4 cup mixture into each warm taco shell; top with lettuce and tomatoes.

Expert Tips

This taco mixture is also delicious served over rice and topped with chopped fresh cilantro.

Top with fat-free sour cream, if desired.

SPICY BEEF TACOS

This is from Weight Watchers (now called WW), and begins, "You get two tasty tacos in a serving. Add your own touch with fresh chopped cilantro, scallions or tomatoes."

Prep Time: 12 minutes; Cook Time: 13 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes; Serves: 4; Difficulty: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Cooking spray, 3 spray(s), divided

1/2 cup WW Reduced fat shredded Mexican style blend cheese

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

3/4 pound uncooked 93% lean ground beef

1 1/2 tsp Ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp Ground coriander

3/4 tsp Table salt, or to taste

1 1/2 cups Canned diced tomatoes, with jalapenos or green chilies

8 small Corn tortillas, lightly toasted just before serving if desired*

2 cups Lettuce, chopped, shredded

1/3 cup Fat free salsa

Directions

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add beef; cook until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, salt and diced tomatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost absorbed, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Place tortillas on a flat surface. Top each with about 1/4 cup beef, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon cheese and 2 teaspoons salsa. Fold tortillas in half and serve. Yields 2 tacos per serving.

Notes

*To toast tortillas, coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place tortillas on top and coat with cooking spray. Heat in a 300°F oven until slightly crisp but not too crisp that they break when folded.

CHICKEN CHILI TACOS

This is from the TODAY Show Recipes e-newsletter. Prep Time: 10 minutes; Servings: 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 1/2 cups prepared pico de gallo or salsa

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted

2 cloves garlic. minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

12 taco shells (crisp or soft/flour or corn)

Preparation

Place the chicken, pico de gallo or salsa, lime juice, cumin seeds and garlic in a slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. (You can also cook on high for 3 hours.)

Allow to cool a bit. Scoop the chicken out with a big slotted spoon and place it in a large serving bowl. Use two forks to pull the meat apart. The chicken will shred easily. Stir in some cooking juice from the pot and top with the cilantro.

Place the shredded chicken, your taco shells and desired fixings on the table and let everyone put together their perfect taco.

JAMAICAN CURRIED TEMPEH TACOS

This comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “The yellow curry filling, mustard greens, and red pepper strips lend these spicy tacos the colors of the tropics.” Yield: Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs. peanut oil

1 small sweet onion, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, diced (1 cup)

1 8-oz. pkg. tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice

2 Tbs. chopped cilantro

2 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 Tbs. lime juice

1 tsp. grated lime zest

4 6-inch corn or flour tortillas, warmed

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup curly mustard greens, finely chopped

2 Tbs. chopped peanuts, optional

Instructions:

Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until onion is softened. Stir in tempeh, pineapple juice, cilantro, curry powder, and ginger. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook 5 minutes, or until pineapple juice evaporates and tempeh starts to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice and zest, and season with salt and pepper.

Fill tortillas with tempeh mixture. Add red bell pepper and mustard greens. Top with peanuts, if desired.