One meal I am willing and able to throw together on a work night, is a Mexican do-it-yourself taco bar. The core of this meal is a quick 10 minute seasoned beef, the rest is just slicing and pouring all the sides and toppings into bowls. If I have a little extra time I will also make some Quesadillas, if I have rice in the house I will make rice, if not I will cook up some frozen kernel corn and peas as the side dishes and call it a day.
I provide the raw materials and the family puts together their own soft and hard tacos or nacho platters. To bump up the nutrition we always serve with cut fruit and baby carrots, or make fruit smoothies. Last night a friend of my son came over for Mexican night, and he found that salsa covered banana slices tasted great – now officially called ‘spicy bananas’! I always find that it is good to let kids experiment (as long as it doesn’t create a disaster in the kitchen!)
Ingredients:
2 pounds or so of 85% ground beef
1 small yellow onion or half of a medium onion, small dice
1/4 cup medium salsa (I like anything all natural, but a favorite is Tostitos restaurant style)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 cup water
2 shakes of oregano
3 shakes of garlic powder
3 shakes of Paprika
6 shakes of Mexican chili powder
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Dice the small onion and add it into a nonstick pan with the ground beef and salsa (no oil necessary). Heat it over med-high heat moving the meat around and breaking it up frequently until the meat is browned all the way through. Use a lid and dump out most of the grease into a bowl to cool (don’t pour hot grease into a garbage back or it will melt holes into the bag).
Put the pan back on the heat and pour in the water, then add the corn starch and all of the seasoning.
Tip: Most of the taco kits include a seasoning packet, if using add it in with the water. I throw them away and choose my own seasoning since the packet ones are very high in sodium and probably have preservatives as well. I would prefer to pick the combination of seasonings myself anyway.
Mix everything together and heat for another minute. Taste for seasoning, adding more of anything you think is lacking, and then the meat is ready to serve. Accompany with soft taco shells warmed in microwave for 30 seconds, hard shells warmed in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes and/or nacho chips warmed in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Some food that can be used to fill your tacos or pile on your nachos or eat on the side are listed below (these are just suggestions, see what you have in the house that matches the Mexican theme):
- Romaine lettuce sliced in thin strips
- Tomatoes sliced in small cubes
- Sour Cream
- Shredded mexican cheese mix
- Salsa
- The packet of sauce included in the taco kit
- Baby peas and kernel corn
- Rice
- Sautee some diced bell peppers or if daring slice up some jalapenos
What would you include in your Mexican night?