HI HI HI. LOOK AT THAT SPREAD ^^^ LET'S TACO BOUT IT! ???
some days i just can't deal. like days when i make really cheesy food puns. or days when i make the most delicious taco bar that can be easily adapted to make whole30 tacos!
can we talk flllllllavvvvor?? because i swear to you, even though i already posted about my homemade taco seasoning a while back, i'm NOT a taco snob. i'll pretty much eat any taco. especially out of a truck at 3 am in a fremont parking lot (well… i guess only if it's taco flair – aka the only mexican i crave that comes from a food truck).
i grew up on old el paso tacos. you know the kind that is LOADED with sodium but tastes like freaking ground beef coated in gold? yeah. that's the stuff.
and no matter what i do, i can't replicate that darn seasoning. but honestly, after making my taco meat this way i'm not even mad about my old el paso struggles.
but, like, for realz. this freaking taco meat is in it's own league.
a couple weeks ago, frankie had a craving for tacos and i was like okay cool and decided to throw everything i had + the kitchen sink in with the taco meat.
i was afraid i might have over seasoned it (my boyfriend is a huge baby). but we took our first bites and it was like… taco heaven. seriously.
there was just the right amount of flavor vs. kick vs. veggies.
(i love putting peppers and onions in my taco meat when its cooking to bulk it up… its also a great way to slip some extra veggies into the diet of a loved one! *cough* frankie *cough*)
so here's what you're gonna do on thursday.
make this taco meat. prep the veggies, toppings, sauces. put them in pretty bowls. set them up on an easily accessible surface. AND EAT THE TACOS WITH FRIENDS WHILE DRINKING MARGSSSSSS.
yes.
now i'm craving a margadoodle from chili's. with that flakey sugar they put on the rim. i can't deal.
wanna know the best part of this taco night? besides the chips, guac, salsa, taco meat, and margs???
this cool cucumber sauce. i really have no clue why i did it. or what made me throw a cucumber in there, but i promise you it's worth it and SO good. and um. ahem. so easy. way easier than my copy cat version of the chop't mexican goddess dressing (which you should also make btw. but if you're in a pinch and can't make both i'd go with the cool cucumber because it's SUPER fast.)
also. i totally cheated and got a taco kit for my shells. BUT you could adapt this to make it whole30 by turning it into a TACO SALAD BAR. leave out the cheese, leave out the shells, and BAM. make sure you have a ton of lettuce, use the chopt mexican dressing or the cool cucumber sauce as a dressing for the salad and your friends will be ALL about it. i promise.
also also. i have a weird request. can you also bake a few potatoes, dice them up, and put them in your taco salad? i tried this a few times last week and was like weirdly obsessed and i want to know i'm not crazy.
so now you need to take one for the team. xoxo
for those of you NOT on a whole30, can you answer the age old question: hard or soft tacos?
WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE?? how do you choose??? HALPPPPP.
it's too much. i'll just have 18.167 of both. thankssss
OH. p.s. do you see that ^^^
ITS A TACO TRUCK. i can't even. my friend laura got it for me for christmas this year and i get a giggle out of them every freaking time i use them. these ones look like the same ones. you should get them because… do i really need to explain it? you guys are my people… i think you just get me.
the ONLY issue i have with a hardshell taco is that it ALWAYS breaks. i question the structural integrity of these bad boys all day.
my mom is a genius. she always let's stuff fall from her tacos and then when she's done with her one or two and moving onto her last one… she TURNS THE FALLEN PIECES INTO TACO SALAD. is that a common thing? did i just miss the ball or something?
whatever, i can't get over the genius of it all. such a smart lady. props to you momma!
- for the taco meat:
- 1 1/2 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons [url href=”http://thepikeplacekitchen.com/diy-taco-seasoning/”]taco seasoning[/url]
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup diced bell pepper
- 1/2 cup sliced red onion
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- for the cool cucumber sauce:
- 1/4 cup [url href=”http://thepikeplacekitchen.com/basil-mayo-turkey-sandwiches/”]mayo[/url]
- juice from one lime
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1/3 cup cilantro
- for the taco bar:
- [url href=”http://thepikeplacekitchen.com/go-to-guacamole/”]guacamole[/url]
- [url href=”http://thepikeplacekitchen.com/mexican-goddess-dressing/”]chop't mexican goddess dressing[/url]
- cool cucumber sauce (see above)
- [url href=”http://thepikeplacekitchen.com/cooking-one-yellow-tomato-pico-de-gallo/”]pico de gallo[/url]
- mexican cheese
- taco shells/tortilla chips
- red onion, diced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- lettuce, shredded
- bell peppers, diced
- cilantro, torn
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Crumble the ground beef into the pan and cook until browned. Reduce the heat to low and remove the skillet. Drain the grease out of the pan and return the beef to the burner.
- Add the taco seasoning, salsa, bell pepper, onion, and salt & pepper to the beef. Pour the water into the pan and stir until well mixed. Simmer on low until the water evaporates and the peppers & onions are cooked down, about 7-10 minutes.
- In a blender, combine the mayo, lime juice, cucumber, and cilantro. Blend until smooth. If the sauce isn't at a consistency you like, either add more lime juice to thin it out or add more mayo + cilantro to thicken it up!
- While the taco meat is cooking, prepare the ingredients for the taco bar (i.e. heat the taco shells, dice the veggies, and make the sauces. Put each ingredient in its own bowl, or on it's own plate, and place the ingredients on the table or surface you're using for the bar! When the meat finishes simmering, place it in a bowl and put it on the table.
- Let everyone make their own tacos & enjoy with margaritas/sombreros!
help a gurl out. don't let me feel like the only one bingeing on tacos in two days….
Make it? Lemme see it! Hashtag it: #thepikeplacekitchen
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