As for myself, I didn't care much for them since I had developed a ground beef intolerance (gag) after pregnancy number two. (And I may have also been scarred from all the Hamburger Helper I was force fed as a child. Just kidding, Mom!)
Anyway... the family has missed taco night so I've tried to think of ways to put it back on the menu.
A few weeks I tried taco bowls. Ground beef and all the fixin's in a bowl. It was okay, I guess, but the chips/corn shells were really missed.
Last night we tried Taco Night again, but instead of a bowl we used very crisp romaine lettuce leaves. It worked better than the bowls, but it is messy, so you'll probably need a fork.A friend of mine (thanks, Kim!) sent me a link to making taco shells out of bacon, which sounds great to me, but I have to think of something that would work to shape it correctly.Although... I wonder if the texture of the bacon would work with the texture of the ground beef?
When I was growing up the ground beef was prepared by browning it, draining the grease, and then adding in some spices.
I've found this way makes it much better tasting and gives it a nicer texture.
Take your ground beef (the organic beef has a much softer texture to begin with) and brown it. Now, brown it, don't cook the heck out of it! Many people make the mistake of overcooking it. Just cook it until it is brown throughout... don't leave it on for another ten minutes after browning "just in case".
Once it is thoroughly browned, drain off the grease--as much as possible (grease will hinder the ability of the spices to stick to the beef)--place the beef back on the stove and add in 2/3 cups warm water. And stir. Now add in your favorite spices. I use: garlic powder, onion salt, chili powder, salt, pepper, and whatever else I feel like that day. Incorporate well.
Next you will want to incorporate a thickener. I used to use a tablespoon of flour, but now I use arrowroot. Mix this into the ground beef and water/spice mixture. Keep the heat high enough so that the water mix is simmering, and allow it to stay this way for 3-6 minutes, just until the water begins to thicken.
We used this stuff:
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To make this:
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| Sour cream, beef, tomatoes, cheese |
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| Greek yogurt, beef, tomatoes, goat cheese |
Could you, maybe, use thin sliced lunch meats, baked into bowl or taco shell shapes? Like eggs in a cup, but without eggs? Or meat taco shells? I know it works with ham - like making meat chips, or kind of like jerky, but not. I am maybe not good at explaining this. See here for general idea - you could bake them ahead, like draping your meat (chicken, roast beef, ham - anything they slice in a deli) over a bowl and baking for a few minutes, until it holds a shape.
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You can try this:
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I haven't tried it and I don't know whether these tortillas are hard or soft. To be honest, I've never had a hard tortilla taco, so I wouldn't have anything to compare it to if it is indeed a hard tortilla. Don't get me wrong, I've had a ton of Mexican food (I lived in San Diego for 5 years), it is just that none of the Mexican restaurants I've ever been to have hard tacos. I mean, unless you're talking about Taco Bell or Del Taco, but I've never eaten there.
My friend Rachel came up with a great shell idea. If you like peppers, halve red or yellow peppers and fill with toppings. She even sometimes bakes them with the meat and cheese and then adds the cold toppings. I'm going to try next time, but I'm not a huge pepper fan, so we'll see.
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