My World Famous Taco Recipe :)

You are in for a treat this time: I have finally decided to post my world famous taco recipe! Vegetarians and vegans close your eyes and cover your ears :) unless you have a meat substitute you can use...and maybe they are not as world famous as I think ( I lead a sheltered life here)

These are the most delicious tacos ever! And because they don't use any of those red seasoning packets that most taco meat is made with, they don't cause heartburn..unless you eat 27 in one sitting ;)

Here's a look at the finished dish, but keepa you fingies off...those there have ketchup on them and they are mine.

(ketchup on tacos? yep that's me, the oddball...besides if I hurry up and put ketchup on, nobody else will take mine...see there is a method to my madness lol)

Now for the ingredients: of course the basics-corn tortillas, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, and oil to cook in...(olive oil is not recommended for this recipe) I use vegetable oil for this.

And then for the 'extras'... should you want them-(not mandatory however) tomatoes, avocados, olives, sour cream, salsa, or whatever you like on your tacos

Now the way these tacos are different from any other taco you've had is- the meat is cooked inside the tortilla. And what makes them so tastily addictive is the spices I put in the meat. So here goes: (measurements are for 1lb beef)

1lb. ground beef- as usual the leaner the better

Ingredients to add to your beef are:

1/4 tsp Lawry's season salt

1/4 tsp powdered garlic

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp oregano- of late I have been using the leaf and crumbling it by hand cause I ran out of the ground stuff, and we have liked this even better!

1/2 cup of dice red onions

1/8 tsp salt-this is the only optional spice

Now for the last ingredient-tofu- I know what you're saying, but please read on:

For those of you who are squeamish about tofu, it is not mandatory for this recipe. The tofu makes your hamburger go twice as far, will be less 'heavy' in your tummy afterwards, and NO ONE will ever know you have added it,...unless you tell them. TRUST ME on this! You may get a comment like "what did you put in the meat to make it taste so good?" Tell them it's the spices you added if you have picky eaters. I had the world's worst pickiest eater, my stepson, and he couldn't even tell.

Side story here on tofu-The first time I ever had tofu was in a meatloaf. I HATE MEATLOAF, make no mistake about that. But I was at my grandparents house, my grandpa made it, my kids were present, so in order to set a good example, I ate it. I could not believe how good his meatloaf was. I actually had seconds! I had to ask him "Grandpa, what did you put in the meatloaf? And when he told me tofu, you could have knocked me over with a feather! So all you tofu scaredies-maybe you will be brave and add tofu to your ground beef, and just see the difference. You can make your hamburgers, meatloaf, scrambled burger for casserole, meatballs...anything that requires ground beef- just add tofu and watch your dish be even more tastey. What kind of tofu? Silky, firm, or extra firm...makes no difference. Just don't get the seasoned kind for this recipe. More recipes with tofu on another day.....

Shown here is 2 lbs super lean ground beef with 1-14oz. pkg of tofu. I usually add this much tofu to this much ground beef. If you are trying tofu for the first time add half as much. You can save the other half in water in the fridge for another time. Remember this is 2 lbs of beef pictured' so for our recipe I will cut this meat portion and the tofu in half.

Now you will want to mix and squish all those spices and onions (and tofu) until it is all mixed together

...like this:

I used the super firm tofu, so you can still see some white chunks in there, but don't worry about that, If you use the silky or soft tofu you won't even see that. And once it's cooked you won't see it anyway.

The tofu will make your meat look a little pinker, but after it's cooked, no one will be the wiser. Now get your frying pan ready and have your cooking oil heating up while we get the tacos ready. I use a medium high heat (6-7 on an electric stove) and about 1/3 cup of oil.

Next we will heat up the corn tortillas. This can be done on a greaseless griddle (comal, in spanish) or a quick heat in the microwave. You will want the tortillas soft enough, so that they do not break when folded. Now take approx. 1-Tbsp of the meat mixture and spread on 1/2 of the tortilla like this:

Then fold it in half and it's ready to cook. Make sure the oil is hot before putting in the tacos. These cook very quickly; only a couple of minutes on each side. You will know to turn them, when they get lightly browned like this:

The meat will be cooking inside at the same time, so be careful when you turn them, as the fattier the meat, the more the oil will tend to pop. You'll be thankful if you use a splatter screen when making these. Brown on both sides and then they are done:

Have a dish lined with paper towels for draining afterwards and turn them upside when taking them out of the pan. They only take a few minutes to drain, and here is what the inside will look like even with the tofu:

The only thing left to do is fill with your lettuce, cheese, and what ever else you like on your tacos:

And you are ready for your taco feast :) It'a mexican party for your mouth!