Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Taco Salad and Homemade Taco Seasoning

Taco night is one of my favorite nights. :) I love setting out all the different fixins in their little bowls and letting everyone go down the line and construct their own. Since I have yet to find a paleo version of a tortilla, I usually just do taco salad now. Big bed of lettuce, big scoop of taco meat, and then pile on the condiments. Cheese, sour cream and refried beans are out, so instead I set out things like guacamole, chopped tomatoes, chopped scallions, salsa, hot sauce, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, olives, even crumbled bacon (is there anything that doesn't go with bacon?).

The most problematic element in this equation is the taco meat. Those little premade packets of taco seasoning that you can get at the store are full of fillers and salt. Luckily, it's dead easy to make your own.



TACO SEASONING

ingredients:
2 T chili powder
1-1/2 T cumin
1-1/2 T paprika
1 T onion powder
1 T garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Just put everything in a container and shake to combine! To make taco meat, mix 3 T of the mixture with 1 lb of ground meat and salt to taste. Just brown the meat, add the seasonings and 1/4 cup of water, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Recipe is adapted from 500 Low Carb Recipes by Dana Carpender.

17 comments:

Erica said...

I made a bunch today, and it tasted great! I made primal taco salad with avocado, tomatoes, a little natural salsa, lettuce, and cilantro. Definitely a keeper in my recipe book. Thanks!

Monkey Mae said...

I may try this tonight!

Anonymous said...

I was searching for a paleolithic taco seasoning recipe and yours is the first to pop up!
I will be trying it tonight for lettuce tacos.
Im curious do you use store bought salsa, because I cannot find one that does not have the little extra things your not supposed to eat on a paleolithic diet, such as salt and sugar.
Also, I thought you were not supposed to eat any salty foods, such as bacon.
I am new to this lifestyle so I am always looking for more info.

Nick said...

Pretty good seasoning. Leaves a little to be desired, but I fixed that with some extra red pepper and cayenne. Also, don't worry about salt... salt is natural and totally paleo, especially if you are using natural sea salt and not industrialized salt. Just salt to taste and you will be fine.

Heidi Maxwell said...

I just made a batch of this seasoning today. I did add a teaspoon of dried cilantro because I found some in my cupboard! Making some primal tacos tonight. Thank you!

Jen said...

I have made this twice and am very pleased. I used an empty spice bottle to store it in. One batch makes 2+ lbs so if you're only making 1 lb of meat, you have enough for a couple of times. I particularly like this on ground turkey. Better than any taco seasoning packet you could buy. I shared on pinterest, hope that's ok!

Quyen said...

I made this last night to go with my jicama tacos. It was delicious. I love taco seasoning that comes from a packet and am excited to find a homemade version that is just as good. I seasoned my meat with garlic salt too. Not sure if that's exactly primal, but it was good.

Anonymous said...

Wow, what an absolutely amazingly fabulous recipe! Even for picky kids! We're on our third "taco Tuesday" using this recipe, and we all look forward to it every week. Thanks for the tip!

jensathomewfiggy said...

Thanks so much! Making some flank steak "burritos" today and didn't want to use that gross stuff in the store! Woo hoo!

Unknown said...

ugg I made it and used it all!! not 3 t

Rashelle said...

Just made this tonight and it was by far the most perfect taco seasoning ever!! Thank you!!!

Unknown said...

Excellent. Smelt and tasted just like taco seasoning without all the nasties.
We used cabbage leaves as the taco shell - very firm and crunchy.

Unknown said...

This was such a great, fast weeknight recipe. Thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

So what is ( T ) is it teaspoon or tablespoon

Anonymous said...

Is "T" tablespoon to teaspoon?

Anonymous said...

Tablespoon or** teaspoon

Anonymous said...

Tablespoon