Taco Tuesday

So it's been a couple days since I've sat down to write anything, just....didn't have much to say yesterday I guess. We went out for dinner Monday to Paco's here in San Bernardino. That place is killer. MMMMM. So good. Had a shredded beef and rice burrito. As far as dinky, hole-in-the-wall places go, tist one deserves 5 Spatulas. Never had a disappointing meal. And it's cheap too. My burrito, which was huge, was only $3.75. That's definitely a win.

Last night however, was Taco Tuesday. Homemade this time. Mike and I hadn't made them at home in a couple weeks, so it was time. And they turned out delish, like always.

Beef Tacos

Serves 2 (with leftover meat..which is enough for another meal)

Ingredients:
1lb. lean ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
6 corn tortillas
1 cup vegetable oil
1 can fat-free refried beans

Start by throwing the onions in a saute pan. Cook until the onions begin to sweat, about 4-5 minutes. Then add the ground beef. Break it up while it cooks into bits. When you have it spread across the pan, sprinkle the cumin, garlic and salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. When the meat has completely browned, drain off any fat and return the meat to the pan to keep warm.
Empty the can of beans into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. I usually throw a little garlic into the beans just to bump up the flavor a bit.
Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. We have one that is reserved for frying projects. When the oil is hot, gently place the 1st tortilla in the pan. With tongs, flip the tortilla once the edges are brown and cook a minute longer. Take the tortilla out of the pan, and pat with clean paper towels to remove as much oil as possible, fold in half and try not to break it, then keep warm in the oven until all of them are done. Serve with whatever taco fixings you like. We usually have grated cheese, lettuce, sour cream for Mike and if we have salsa in the house, we'll throw that on top.

This is one of my favorite meals. It's easy, and easily variable. If you're being health-conscious, use ground turkey. I actually really like the flavor of ground turkey, but it's very expensive, so the beef works just fine, and isn't all that terrible for you, especially after draining whatever fat drippings there are. Also, if you don't have fat-free refried beans, don't sweat it. We used a can of black beans last night that we drained and warmed with garlic, and it was just as fabulous. Mix it up. Tacos are a hard thing to ruin.

That's it for today kids. Happy Hump Day!