Taco Seasoning Recipe

I don't know about you, but Country Boy and I love Mexican food.  OK, truth be told, we love food period!  Thus, the ever-present four letter word... DIET (more on that later).  I mentioned a while back that I am reading The Gorgeously Green Diet book, a book on how to live lean and green.  I've only read five chapters but in those five chapters have been some things that I already knew and some things that have been eye-openers.  The author talks about how food is the source of life and yet, the majority of us have totally lost that connection.  We always seems to be in a hurry and we even hurry through the preparation and eating of food.  We buy convenient, ready-made, low-quality, man-made foods with little to no nutritional values whatsoever, lacking in vitamins and loaded with toxins that could inhibit metabolism and lead to obesity.  These very 'convenience' foods are what is making us sick, tired and over-weight and leave us feeling worn-out, sluggish and empty.  The author goes on to say that we should celebrate our love of great food with every mouthful and that we should be eating minimally processed foods.  She also goes on to talk about the impact of all the packaging of these convenience foods and the harm that it brings the environment.  Wow!  That's another post!

The author encourages us to read labels.  I am already a label reader and have been for a long time.  If I have to resort to a canned item or a man-made food, you'll find me in the middle of the aisle reading the list of ingredients.  What determines whether or not I purchase said item depends on the list.  If there is something in the list that I cannot pronounce, I do not get the item.  Easy as that.  Well, not really because I don't end up with very many convenient items!  But that's OK!  It makes me choose healthier alternatives or find a way to make it myself.  I've heard it said that the best way to shop in a grocery store is by shopping the perimeter.  There's almost no need to enter any of the center aisles because it's all processed foods with lots of packaging.  I don't know about you but I would rather spend my hubby's hard-earned money on foods that will benefit me nutritionally rather than wasting it on foods that have no nutritional value and may possibly harm me!

So, all that being said, here is a recipe for Taco Seasoning that is simple and uses spices that you probably already have on hand and there will be no strange ingredients in your next Mexican meal!

Taco Seasoning

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

A little Cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper for a kick

½ cup water

1 pound lean ground beef

Brown your meat in a saucepan.  I saute some onions and then add my beef.  I season the beef while it's browning with some sea salt and pepper.  The onions, salt and pepper are optional.  Meanwhile, mix your dry ingredients together and set aside.  Once the meat is well-browned and starting to stick to the bottom of your pan add the water and seasoning mix.  Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan and mix all ingredients well.  Cover and simmer until the majority of the liquid is absorbed.  You may need to remove the lid for the last few minutes of cooking to help absorb the moisture.

That's it!  Easy-peasy!

So, what is your favorite Mexican dish?

Till next time,