My husband, Christopher, and I love making Mexican-inspired foods at home. Recently, we made one of our best tacos dinners to date. Maybe it was the 85-15 beef that I begrudgingly bought (I usually prefer leaner meat) or the cinnamon and cayenne carrots that we prepared. Whatever the reason, this meal was seriously a winner!
Taco Dinner with all the fixings
1 package of ground beef (or meat substitute)
1 onion diced
1 packet of taco seasoning (or make your own with chili, garlic, onion powders, cumin, red pepper flakes and paprika!)
1 plantain sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 package of Spanish rice (or, again, make your own with tomatoes and chili powder!)
3 carrots diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 avocado diced
3 tomatoes diced
3 oz of sharp cheddar grated
4 taco shells
This recipe is pretty fool proof (always a plus!) First, cook rice. We use a rice cooker but the stovetop works just fine as well.
Brown ground beef and onions in a pan. Incorporate taco seasoning.
Salt and pepper the plantains and cook in a pan with some cooking spray until slightly brown. Flip and brown other side.
Blanche carrots in pot of hot water until slightly tender. Then, transfer to a pot with butter, cinnamon and cayenne pepper until carrots are cooked through.
Prepare toppings...
... and serve!
Not only was this meal simple but it incorporated a variety of textures and flavors. My favorite part was definitely the carrots - the cinnamon and cayenne paired perfectly, reminding me a bit of Mexican hot chocolate.
What do you serve with tacos? Do you focus on flavoring and enjoying the meat - or do you like to add all kinds of toppings?