Random Food Fridays - Taco Talk

Today I want to share what I call tacos. You will see that my definition of tacos is pretty loose. Like salad or sandwiches, tacos can be just about anything. I'm not even sure what defines something as a taco, once you take the tortilla away. Dwayne is my taco anchor, because no matter what crazy thing I do with my taco parts, he always has meat and cheese on a tortilla. These photos represent a few different taco nights at our house. Above is turkey taco meat, served over half of a large baked sweet potato. I've topped it with garden tomatoes, avocado, Trader Joe's Pineapple Salsa, grated cheddar, chopped cilantro, a dab of sour cream and plenty of Tapatio. This is crazy good. There is something magical that happens when you combine sweet potatoes or butternut squash with spicy tomato based sauces. I'm not pulling your leg. It's akin to port and chocolate - the total is greater than the sum of the parts. This fabulous meal only adds up to 440 calories.

On another evening, I had ground beef to use up and made this taco salad. This salad is similar to the sweet potato "taco" but it is mounted on romaine. The ground beef is higher in fat and calories, so I cut out the carbs. Still totally delicious.

We had leftovers of the turkey taco meat, so the next night I had a turkey taco sandwich. It's really just a spicy sloppy joe. That pineapple salsa is very close to BBQ sauce. (Hmmm...spicy pineapple BBQ sauce...)

Here is Dwayne's dinner on most taco nights. I angled the camera so I could show that he put some green stuff in there.

Here is how I season the meat when I make these dishes. It is not at all hot, but is very flavorful. Please add more of everything if you wish. If I were cooking this just for me, I would likely add a chopped jalapeno and maybe throw in some kidney beans. If you take nothing else away from this little love letter to all things taco, please consider sweet potatoes in your next spicy Mexican meal. Trust me. You won't regret it.

Mild & Multi-Purpose Taco Meat

1 lb. ground turkey

one red onion, chopped

1 large cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp. each salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cumin, coriander and garlic and herb seasoning

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Brown meat, onions and garlic. Add seasonings and Worcestershire sauce and cook on medium low heat for 5 - 10 minutes to blend flavors. Stack up with your favorite taco fixings.