A Twist on Tacos

The Story: 

Have you ever done one of those "clean out the pantry" programs?  You know, instead of going grocery shopping, you use up all that stuff that's been cluttering up your cupboard or freezer.  I don't know about you, but I haven't seen the back of my freezer for months.  What's IN there, anyway?  Why do I need MORE stuff, that I will only have to squeeze in there and have it fall on me the next time I open the door?

The truth is, we weren't working on cleaning out the pantry or freezer, we just hadn't gone to the grocery store in a long time and we didn't have a whole bunch of options for dinners, so I just had to get creative with what we had.  Although, I'm still not sure why our freezer is so full, if we're out of meat.

So, I wanted chicken but we didn't have enough chicken to make anything.  Also, I think I've been watching too much Food Network stuff (I have so much to do and so little time that I have to watch about 20 minutes of a movie or something while I eat lunch, or I will get distracted from my food and start doing other things).  So I made use of what I had, and made this.



The Recipe:

Taco Bowls
6 corn tortillas
1 pound ground turkey or hamburger
lime juice
garlic salt
fajita seasoning
cayenne pepper
1 can refried beans
shredded cheese
sour cream
1 medium tomato, cut up
sprigs of fresh parsley or cilantro

Grease a 6-cup oversized-muffin tin.  Line each cup with a corn tortilla (this is hard to explain, but you'll have to put two folds in each tortilla to get it to stay in there--one "tuck" on each side).  Bake at 400° F, about 10-15 minutes, until crisp.

Meanwhile, place meat in medium skillet over medium heat.  Sprinkle liberally with garlic salt, fajita seasoning, cayenne, and lime juice.  Brown meat, reseasoning as needed.  (Since this will be eaten with beans, which are more bland, you want the meat pretty strongly flavored, so don't be afraid to add more spices.)

Heat the beans, if you want--I didn't.  Pack a large spoonful of beans in each tortilla bowl.  Top each with a spoonful of meat, and pack down gently, so it doesn't fall all over the place.  Sprinkle with cheese, and tomatoes, and a dollop of sour cream.  Garnish with parsley or cilantro.



The Verdict:

Messy.  Tasty.  A little different than the usual.  Fairly quick.  All-in-all successful. 

I mostly just wanted it to look pretty and impress Husband.  But then, he's pretty willing to be impressed by anything I do.  I like him.  I hope you like this recipe, too.