Beef Tacos, Burritos, Nachos and Tortilla Pizzas

IT'S TACO NIGHT!!! Nothing authentic about it but it's time for some crazy-tasty ground beef in a crispy corn shell with a ton of toppings! You can (AND SHOULD!) double this recipe to feed a crowd or to ensure you have lots of leftovers to make delicious Burritos,Tortilla Pizzas and Nachos!! The flavor far surpasses a packet of taco seasoning and any fast food taco filling. We make this one all the time, it's SO good and easy.

This is yet another recipe from Americas Test Kitchen. They know their stuff, check them out.

I <3 this book.

First, get your spices ready in a small bowl.

2 Tbs      Chili Powder

1 Tsp      Cumin

1 Tsp      Coriander 

1/2 Tsp   Oregano, dried

1/4 Tsp   Cayenne Pepper

1/4 Tsp   Salt

• Next, chop a medium yellow onion while you heat a few teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, then add 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Cook 1 minute more.
• The skillet should still have some oil in it, if not add a touch more. Add the seasoning and stir for 1 minute. This step really brings out a ton of flavor from the spices, and It's makes your house smell great!
• Add 1 lb of 90% lean ground beef and break it up. If you don't use 90% you'll wind up with orange,  greasy meat.
• While the meat is cooking combine the following in a cup:

1/2 Cup   Chicken Broth, low sodium
1/2 Cup   Tomato Sauce
2 Tsp       Vinegar, preferably cider
1 Tsp       Brown sugar, preferably dark 

• Once the meat is no longer pink add the liquid mixture to the skillet. Stir and let simmer uncovered for at least 10 minutes, until most of the liquid is gone. 

It should look like this

While the meat is simmering you can fry your tortilla shells (I recommend Mission brand extra thin yellow corn tortillas) or warm flour tortillas for burritos:

Then get your favorite toppings ready:

Tomato, Avocado, Onion, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Sour Cream, Black Beans and the ever present Chipotle Tabasco

You have no idea how hard it was tot take this picture before devouring these!

Seriously. Make these. And invite me over.
Also check out my Enchiladas Verdes and Mexican Meatballs

Breakfast Burritos for the Freezer

I LOVE breakfast burritos. I also love to spend as little time as possible on breakfast on a workday. So I'm making Sunday's breakfast and breakfast for the whole week in one fell swoop.

I got my inspiration from Kim's blog Stirring the Pot here: http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/2012/09/lets-talk-freezer-meals-burritos.html 
and also Here:http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/2012/08/spicy-chorizo-zucchini-and-egg.html 
She's got lots of good stuff posted, check her out.

I'm cooking up Chorizo, Zucchini, Onion and Potato, along with a big batch of Scrambled Eggs and topping them off with Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Manchego cheese and Chipotle Tobasco sauce.

Looks good. Smells even better. 

Fill em

Wrap em, stack em

This is the first time I've thrown a Zucchini in the mix and it was fantastic! They were so good we were lucky to get 5 (out of 9) into the freezer for later! Looking forward to breakfast this week. I'm also looking forward to trying this filling in a taco as well. 

Freeze em

Here's a rough recipe. Exact measurements aren't essential:

1 Small Zucchini (Diced)

1 Small Onion (Diced)

2 Small Potatoes (Diced)

1/2 - 3/4 Lb Chorizo

• Cook the Chorizo on med-high first, try to get some browning on it, once cooked through add the veggies. Lower heat and cover. Let the veggies soften and the flavors meld. Pour mix into a bowl, scrap out the pan and melt butter and scramble the eggs. 

9 Eggs

1 Big Splash Milk/Half and Half/Cream

1-2 Tbs Butter

Salt & Pepper

• You know how to scramble eggs, right?

What do you think of this filling? What do you put in your breakfast burritos? Make it? Like it? Let me know in the comments!