Taco Tuesday

It's time for another Taco Tuesday. Any objections? I hope not. Check out today's offerings, including the Spinach, Shrimp and Ricotta Tacos and Spicy Beef Tacos. Enjoy!

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.

Exchanges:1 1/2 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1/2 Fat; Carbohydrate Choices:2 *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

SALSA VERDE SCRAMBLED EGG TACOS

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "Enjoy your scrambled eggs in a mini soft tortilla bowl with these delicious breakfast tacos, perfect for kids and adults! They’re topped with shredded cheese, fresh pico de gallo, avocado and Old El Paso™ Creamy Salsa Verde sauce."

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 20 minutes; Makes 6 servings

View this online at https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/salsa-verde-scrambled-egg-tacos.

Ingredients

6 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter

1 package (12 count) Old El Paso™ Mini Soft Tortilla Bowls, heated as directed on package

1/2 cup Old El Paso™ shredded Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend

1/2 cup pico de gallo

1 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, diced

1/3 cup Old El Paso™ Creamy Salsa Verde sauce

Preparation

In large bowl, beat eggs with whisk. Add milk and salt; beat well.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add egg mixture; cook 3 to 5 minutes, scraping cooked eggs up from bottom of skillet occasionally, until mixture is firm but still moist.

Divide eggs evenly among warm tortilla bowls. Top with cheese, pico de gallo and avocado; drizzle with sauce.

Expert Tips

Try chopped tomatoes in place of pico de gallo.

Kids love to help in the kitchen. After filling tortillas with eggs, let the kids top with their favorite cheese and fresh toppings!

Add cooked breakfast sausage to tacos for a flavor twist.

Nutrition: 6 servings (2 tacos each); 1 Serving: Calories: 310 (Calories from Fat: 190); Total Fat: 21 g (Saturated Fat: 8 g, Trans Fat: 0 g); Cholesterol: 210 mg; Sodium: 550 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 18 g (Dietary Fiber: 2 g, Sugars: 2 g); Protein: 10 g

% Daily Value: Vitamin A 10%; Vitamin C 4%; Calcium 15%; Iron 10%

Exchanges: 1 Other Carbohydrate, 1 Medium-Fat Meat, 1/2 High-Fat Meat, 2 1/2 Fat

Carbohydrate Choice: 1

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.

AVOCADO TACOS

This recipe is from Enrique Olvera and adapted by Jeff Gordinier on The New York Times cooking site. Jeff wrote, "Most top chefs will tell you the same thing: When they finally escape from the elaborate labors they oversee in the kitchen, they crave late-night street food that’s poetically simple and satisfying: hot dogs, fried rice, a bowl of noodles. For Enrique Olvera, the chef at Cosme in New York and Pujol in Mexico City, that hand-to-mouth haiku can be found in avocado tacos, which he scarfs down around the clock. They serve as both “a comfort,” he said, and “a cultural expression.” In its most basic form, an avocado taco is like a two-bite couplet in praise of Mexican ingredients: a chewy corn tortilla enclosing creamy slices of the-butter-that-grows-on-trees. Spare additions elevate that avocado: a pinch of salt, a spray of lime juice, a sprinkle of chopped onions and cilantro. But the chef takes elevation one step further with a salsa made of pasilla chiles and tomatillos."

Yield: 12 tacos; Time: 45 minutes

This was featured in "Scouting the Scene", and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016784-avocado-tacos.

Note: The article ("Scouting the Scene") is well worth the read; check it out!

Ingredients

4 pasilla chiles

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

2 garlic cloves

10 tomatillos, boiled in salted water for 15 minutes or until soft

3 avocados, sliced thin

12 corn tortillas

3/4 cup white onion, finely diced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Preparation

Make the salsa: Snap the stems off the chiles and remove the seeds. Using tongs, carefully hold the chiles over a medium flame to char on all sides. Transfer chiles to a food processor, add the salt and process into a powder. Add the garlic and tomatillos and purée until smooth. (This makes 1 pint salsa, more than needed; refrigerate the rest in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.)

To serve, place 3 or 4 slices of avocado on each tortilla and top with salsa, onion and cilantro.

BEEF ENCHILADA MINI TACO BOWLS™

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "Love enchiladas but don’t like all the rolling and stuffing? Try these easy green chile beef enchilada-filled mini bowls -- all the flavor in a pick-up version!"

Prep Time: 35 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes; Makes 10 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/beef-enchilada-mini-taco-bowls.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, melted

10 Old El Paso™ Taco Bowls™ mini soft flour tortillas (1 sleeve from Party Pack)

1/2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso™ enchilada sauce

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles

3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (3 oz)

3 tablespoons sliced green onions

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Brush melted butter on all sides of bowls; place in 3-quart baking dish. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until brown and firm to the touch. Bowls will crisp slightly as they cool.

Meanwhile, in 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat 8 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown; drain. Reserve 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir remaining enchilada sauce and green chiles into beef mixture; return to heat. Simmer mixture, uncovered, over medium heat 10 to 12 minutes or until thickened.

Spoon filling into bowls; top with shredded cheese, and drizzle with remaining enchilada sauce. Bake 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with green onions.

Expert Tips

Got a crowd to feed? This recipe is easily doubled to fill the full Party Pack of bowls. Use a 12-inch nonstick skillet, 2 baking dishes and double everything.

Want more spice? Try medium or hot enchilada sauce.

SPINACH, SHRIMP AND RICOTTA TACOS

This is from Priscilla Gilbert, from Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, on Taste of Home. She wrote, "I was looking for a new recipe for tacos, and this version was a perfect solution. With shrimp, green chiles, spinach and ricotta, it's made up of ingredients I love that aren't normally associated with traditional tacos."

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/spinach-shrimp-and-ricotta-tacos/.

Ingredients

1 carton (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

4 garlic cloves, minced, divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pound uncooked shrimp (31-40 per pound), peeled and deveined

2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chiles

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

10 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 12 cups)

12 corn tortillas (6 inches), warmed

Salsa and lime wedges

Directions

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, cilantro, half the minced garlic, salt and pepper; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add shrimp, green chiles and pepper flakes; cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach and remaining garlic; cook and stir until shrimp turn pink and spinach is wilted, 4-5 minutes.

Serve shrimp mixture in tortillas with ricotta mixture, salsa and lime wedges.

Test Kitchen tip

If you happen to have any leftover shrimp, serve it over hot cooked pasta, polenta or quinoa. A little sprinkle of Parmesan cheese won't hurt, either.

Nutrition Facts: 2 tacos: 317 calories, 11g fat (4g saturated fat), 114mg cholesterol, 468mg sodium, 32g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 5g fiber), 25g protein. Diabetic exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat.