Healthy Tacos..Yummy!

Tacos are so much fun to eat, and kids love them! We came across a great recipe with just 261 calories per portion (2 small tacos). The secret to make them healthy and lean is to “oven fry” the taco shells instead of deep frying or using store-bought. To do this, spray them with cooking spray then bake them until they’re crisp. This reduces fat and saturated fat. Also, combine lean ground beef and turkey to cut out much of the fat and saturated fat.

Healthy Tacos

Servings: 6 servings, 2 filled tacos each

• 12 Crispy Taco Shells, (recipe follows)
• Lean & Spicy Taco Meat (recipe follows)
• 3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, (3 ounces)
• 3/4 cup diced tomatoes
• 3/4 cup prepared salsa
• 1/4 cup diced red onion

To assemble, fill each taco shell with (in any order): a generous 3 tablespoons taco meat, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 tablespoon tomato, 1 tablespoon salsa, 1 teaspoon onion.

Taco Shells

• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• Canola oil cooking spray
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divide

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Wrap 4 tortillas in a barely damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on High until steamed, about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, wrap in foil and heat in the preheated oven until steaming, 5 to 7 minutes.) Coat both sides with cooking spray; sprinkle a little chili powder and salt on one side.
Drape each tortilla over a panel on a baked-taco rack and bake until crispy and brown, 7 to 10 minutes. (Or see Kitchen Tip.)
Remove the shells from the rack and repeat Steps 2 and 3 with the remaining 8 tortillas.

Taco Meat

• 8 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
• 8 ounces 99%-lean ground turkey breast
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, preferably Rotel brand (see Tip), or 1 1/4 cups petite-diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile, or 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Place beef, turkey and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain off fat. Wipe out the pan. Return the meat to the pan and add tomatoes, cumin, ground chipotle (or chili powder) and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving: 261 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 1 g mono); 38 mg cholesterol; 31 g carbohydrates; 24 g protein; 5 g fiber; 582 mg sodium; 272 mg potassium.


Source: Eating Well