Week 19: Recipe #1--Lighter Beef Tacos

This recipe is from marthastewart.com (see link below).  This taco meat was FILLED with flavor--very tasty.  However, I would change a couple things.  The recipe calls for you to cook all of the veggies and spices first, and then add the meat.  The problem with this was that all of the "stuff" you would usually drain after browning the meat was still in the skillet, so the tacos were a bit messy.  Also, when I added the cup of water, it was supposed to evaporate, but it didn't.  I had to take it out of the skillet using the lid.  So, I'm not sure it needed a whole cup.  All that said, I've made tacos many times, and this meat was REALLY good.  I served this with refried beans and Spanish rice.  Makes 4 servings.

Photo from marthastewart.com

You'll Need:

• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tblsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3/4 lb. ground beef sirloin
• 12 soft corn tortillas
• store-bought salsa and shredded iceberg lettuce, for serving (I also added shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream...moving away from lighter tacos, but....oh well)

Preparation:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and bell peppers; cook until crisp-tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add 1 cup water; cook until water has evaporated and vegetables are softened, 3-5 minutes.
2. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Add beef.  Cook, breaking up mean with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Season taco filling with salt and pepper.  To serve, spoon filling onto tortillas, top with salsa and lettuce (and cheese and sour cream!), and fold to enclose.

***Note:  For the best flavor, warm the tortillas briefly in the microwave before serving.

Recipe and link:  http://www.marthastewart.com/316802/lighter-beef-tacos