It’s Tuesday.  You know what that means! Taco Tuesday!! My family loves this day/night; that usually means we are making some form of tacos in our house.  The first thing my kids say when they get home from school is:  “What’s for dinner, mom? can we make it a Taco Tuesday Mom”!!  Sometimes, depending on our week/schedules, it may fall on a Thursday night.

We have made so many different types of tacos from grilled fish tacos or meat tacos to shrimp tacos.  This time I decided to make Turkey Tacos.  When seasoning up the turkey meat with all your spices and veggies it is so close to a ground, red meat taco but much lighter.  I love adding mushrooms and onions to this; I chop them up so fine so my kids don’t even realize they are in the taco meat.  I have been known to use leftover, grilled veggies from the night before and just chop them up finely in my mini processor and then add them to the meat while cooking.  I love to use Baby Bella mushrooms and when cooking them in the meat they really have a meaty texture.  Instead of buying/using a jar of taco sauce I always make my own.  I have made it from scratch but on a very busy night after work and school and after school activities I am always looking for shortcuts.  So, this time I made a mock taco sauce with my mini chopper to puree it.  I also use my own mix of spices instead of a packet; that way I can control the salt content and add more of the flavors that we really like.  It is so super easy to make your own blend of spices for this dish or any dish.  I always keep a good stock of spices & seasonings in my spice drawer.

I love to serve our tacos family style.  Put everything on the table and let everyone build their own tacos; that way they can top them with their favorite ingredients.

This time I also decided to make homemade tortilla wraps.  You can certainly buy and use store bought wraps but it was fun to make them.  Everyone can get involved in this step too.  I ended up having leftover wraps too which can be stored in the fridge or freezer for later use.

What’s your favorite taco? do you like fish or meat? share your favorite take on Taco Tuesday or Taco Thursday or Taco anytime!! Would love to hear from you.

Turkey Tacos

Serves 4

Ingredients

1.5 lbs, Ground Turkey

1/2, White Onion, chopped

1 small package (80z), Mushrooms, chopped

Blend of Spices:

• 1 Teaspoon of each; garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika and salt
• 1 Tablespoon, chili powder
• ½ Teaspoon, Oregano
• Good Dash, ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons, fresh Cilantro, chopped plus extra for garnish

½ Cup, Salsa

¼ Cup, water

1 (15.5oz) Can, Black Beans

1 box, Wild Rice or Brown Rice

8-10 Tortilla Wraps, heated according to package

Instructions

Making Taco Sauce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat pan on stove over medium-high heat.  Add ground meat and start breaking up.  Cook for about 5 minutes and add onion & mushrooms.  Stir until combined and continue cooking another 3 minutes until meat isn’t pink.  In a mini chopper blend the salsa and water.  Add salsa (mock taco sauce) and stir.  Simmer for about 5-8 minutes.  Add chopped cilantro and stir.

While the meat is simmering heat your beans and cook your rice; if rice needs a longer cooking time than start that before cooking the ground meat.  Heat the tortilla wraps.

Mangia! Enjoy!

Serving Suggestions

Guacamole

Serve Family Style:  Place everything in bowls on the table so everyone can build their own tacos.  Rice & Beans can be added to your toppings or served as a side dish.

Topping Ideas:

• Lettuce, Shredded
• Guacamole or diced Avocado
• Salsa or extra taco sauce
• Cheese, Shredded
• Sour Cream
• Cilantro, chopped
• Jalapenos, Diced
• Or anything you like to top your tacos with

 

Check out the following recipe to learn how to make homemade tortilla wraps:  Homemade Tortilla Wraps