Tacos are essential to Cinco de Mayo, Tuesdays and life if you want to live happily. There is an array of different ways to eat and make them. Here are some recipes that you will intrigue you to chow down.
Taco Pizza:
With a cream cheese/sour cream “sauce” and spicy taco flavor, taco pizza is a creation that can’t be messed up.
Ingredients:
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
1 package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1-pound ground beef or ground turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Unroll the crescent roll dough and lay out on the ungreased cookie sheet. Pinch the perforations together to seal. Bake at 375* for 8-10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool.
3. In a small bowl, mix the softened cream cheese and sour cream. Use a whisk to remove any lumps. Spread over the cooled crust. (I let my crust cool for around 20 minutes.) Chill in the refrigerator.
4. Brown the ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning packet and water, according to package directions. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Sprinkle the ground beef evenly over the cream cheese layer. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.
6. Cut into serving-size pieces and serve immediately or refrigerate.
Sriracha Chicken Tacos:
Did someone say sweet and spicy? This is a meal that will turn your taste buds on to a whole new degree of flavor. The avocado sour cream sauce will cool the hot kicking flavor of the Sriracha so don’t shy away if spice isn’t your thing.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
3 T Sriracha sauce
1 T honey
1 t lime juice
6-8 taco shells
1 avocado
1-2 cups mixed greens
⅓ cup sour cream
2 t lime juice
Instructions:
1. Combine Sriracha, honey, salt, and lime juice for marinating the chicken. Mix and slather both chicken breasts with the mixture. Let it marinade for about 15 minutes. (You can also let it marinade for longer in the fridge.) You can prepare the chicken on the grill or in a skillet on a stove top. Cook on both sides until done. Take off heat and cool a little bit until you can handle it enough to cut.
2. In a small sauce bowl, mix together sour cream, finely minced cilantro, lime juice and salt. Set aside.
3. Mix together 1 Tbsp. of Sriracha and ½ Tbsp. of honey. (You can always make more if you like more sauce and more heat.) Set aside.
4. To drizzle sauces, I usually add them to separate small zip-lock bags and cut off little tips when I’m ready to drizzle. That way I don’t have to wash a million squeeze bottles or use pricey piping bags.
5. Slice chicken and add some to each taco shell.
6. Add some diced avocado, greens, and green onion on top of chicken.
7. Drizzle with sour cream sauce and honey Sriracha on top.
Taco Chili:
Who said tacos have to be served in a shell? Taco chili is great because it can be served year round; on a cold Minnesota night it’ll warm the soul and be great comfort food, but on a hot summer day it can be served more as a dip for chips.
Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15-ounce can tomato sauce
14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
2 cups frozen corn
1 package taco seasoning
1 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
1 T cocoa powder
2 chicken breast
Instructions:
1. Place all of the ingredients, except for the chicken, into the bowl of a slow cooker. Stir to mix.
2. Add the chicken and cover with the mixed sauce. Cover with a lid and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours.
3. After 3 ½ to 5 ½ hours – 30 minutes before the chili is done – remove the chicken and shred with two forks. It should easily fall apart. Return chicken to the crockpot, stir to combine and finish cooking with the lid off for the final 30 minutes.
4. Serve garnished with sour cream, cilantro or shredded cheese.
Ground Turkey Taco Salad:
Some just assume a taco salad is the go-to for getting rid of the leftovers from the tacos you had the night before. Great thinking, but you can also make a killer salad as a meal.
Ingredients:
16 oz organic lean ground turkey
3 t chili powder
8 oz canned corn
1 avocado
1 lime
5 cups spinach
4 T crushed corn tortillas
Instructions:
1. Combine 2 t chili powder and the ground turkey. Cook thoroughly.
2. Slice the avocado into squares and the lime into 4 slices.
3. Put the salad together, starting with the spinach and adding the avocado, corn, turkey, and tortillas.
4. Top each salad with the remaining chili powder and serve with a slice of lime. Enjoy!
Like I said before, tacos can be made and eaten in a collection of different ways. Now go make yourself a taco of your choice and go on happily with your day!