Taco Tuesday

If you love tacos as much as I do, you might not mind that it's time for another Taco Tuesday. Today's offerings include Roasted Root Veggie Breakfast Tacos and Southwest Turkey Tacos. Enjoy!

EASY CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "There's nothing 'routine' about this enchilada recipe. With flavors that make your family go Mmmm and just 20 minutes of prep time, these Easy Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas make getting a hearty meal on the table a breeze. Amp up the flavor with zesty Old El Paso™ Mild Red Enchilada Sauce, mild chiles and Old El Paso™ Crema Mexicana sour cream. These chicken and black bean enchiladas are ready to serve in only 50 minutes. There's so much to love about these enchiladas you'll be serving up bold flavor every week."

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Makes 10 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/easy-chicken-and-black-bean-enchiladas.

Ingredients

2 cans (10 oz each) Old El Paso™ Mild Red Enchilada Sauce

2 1/2 cups shredded deli rotisserie chicken

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

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso™ Chopped Green Chiles

1 cup canned black beans, drained, rinsed

2 cups Old El Paso™ Shredded Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend (8 oz)

1 package (8.2 oz) Old El Paso™ Flour Tortillas for Soft Tacos & Fajitas (6 inch)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Old El Paso™ Crema Mexicana, if desired

Preparation

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish or pan with cooking spray. Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce evenly in bottom of baking dish. In medium bowl, stir together chicken, 3/4 cup of the sauce, the taco seasoning mix, chiles, beans and 1 cup of the cheese.

Place tortillas on work surface. Spread 1/3 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Wrap tortillas tightly around filling, placing seam side down in baking dish. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle green onions and cilantro on top. Top with sour cream.

Expert Tips

Want a little more heat? Try Old El Paso™ Medium Red Enchilada Sauce.

Fresh toppings like chopped tomatoes or avocados make great additions to chicken and bean enchiladas.

Try Shredded 3 Pepper Cheese Blend to replace Mexican Style 4 Cheese Blend for even more of a spicy kick to the chicken and black bean enchiladas.

These Easy Microwave Chicken Enchiladas are a quick way to serve up big flavor in record time.

Chicken enchiladas with beans are a family-favorite meal. Still, if not everyone at the table loves beans, we think this recipe for Easy Creamy Chicken Enchiladas will be a winner. It's got the same delicious mild enchilada sauce but skips the beans.

Prep this recipe in the morning and come home to an Enchilada Soup ready to go in the slow cooker. The same enchilada flavors you love, now spoonable.

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.

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.

AMERICAN BBQ TACOS

This is from Vegetarian Times, and begins, “For authentic Southern flavor, top these tacos with prepared coleslaw instead of shredded lettuce.” Yield: Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

BBQ Sauce

1 1/2 Tbs. ketchup

1 Tbs. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. honey

1/8 tsp. hot sauce, or more to taste

Tacos

1 1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 cup soy crumbles, such as Lightlife Gimme Lean

4 6-inch corn or flour tortillas, warmed

2 Tbs. chopped red onion

1/3 cup grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup shredded Romaine lettuce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbs. pickle relish, optional

Instructions:

To make BBQ Sauce: Combine all ingredients in bowl.

To make Tacos: Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, and carrots, and cook 3 minutes, or until vegetables are softened, stirring halfway through. Add soy crumbles and 2 Tbs. BBQ Sauce. Cook 8 minutes, or until soy crumbles are browned.

Fill tortillas with soy crumble mixture. Top with red onion, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and relish, if desired. Serve with BBQ Sauce.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 178; Protein: 12 g; Total Fat: 10 g; Saturated Fat: 3.5 g; Carbohydrates: 10 g; Cholesterol: 15 mg; Sodium: 409 mg; Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 4 g

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.

ROASTED ROOT VEGGIE BREAKFAST TACOS

This is from Leyla Shamayeva, MS, RD at VeryWellFit. Leyla wrote, "Enjoy a heartburn-friendly taco…for breakfast! These don’t contain a single heartburn trigger—no spicy jalapeños, chili pepper, paprika, BBQ sauce, garlic, onions, or acidic lime juice. However, you’ll still get the traditional Mexican flare from spices like cumin and coriander, corn tortillas, and lime zest."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes; Servings: 2 (1 taco each)

To view this online, go to https://www.verywellfit.com/heartburn-friendly-breakfast-tacos-4129420.

Ingredients

1 small sweet potatoes, cubed (1/4” - 1/2” pieces)

1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced (1/4” rounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest of 1/2 lime

1 cup canned black beans (mashed)

2 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and carrots with olive oil, cumin, coriander, salt, and lime zest. Transfer to the baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.

Once the vegetables are ready, spread the mashed black beans on the tortilla and top with the veggies.

See the serving tips below for additional topping suggestions.

Ingredient Substitutions and Variations

Swap in your favorite root vegetables if you’re not a fan of carrots and sweet potatoes—turnips, parsnips, rutabaga, radishes, and kohlrabi are good choices that won’t trigger heartburn.

You can also use a different kind of bean if you don’t have the black variety handy.

Cooking and Serving Tips

The roasted vegetables explode with flavor, so you can easily enjoy these breakfast tacos without anything added. They’ll feel more like breakfast topped with an egg or lime-zested yogurt though. You can add a fried egg, cooked in half a teaspoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with a little bit of lime zest for an additional 90 calories. Alternatively, top with 2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt mixed with zest from half a lime for an additional 35 calories.

You can serve these tacos traditionally, with a double tortilla, but it’s important to keep portions in check when you have heartburn. Larger meals tend to increase abdominal pressure and force acid past the barrier between your stomach and esophagus. If you think you’ll feel full with a single tortilla layer, stick to that.

To save time in the morning, prepare the veggies and black bean mash the night before and simply assemble your taco in the morning.