Tacos

I watched Ethan today and we are keeping him overnight. I had already planned something simple for dinner tonight which was fabulous. Fortunately, Ethan will eat almost anything so I knew I was pretty safe with soft tacos. I made my own taco seasoning mixture from Annie's Eats website and I already had some homemade tortillas stashed in the freezer. All I had to do was brown my ground beef, add the taco seasoning mix and stir in water to let it cook together. The taco flavoring was good but I found it was missing salt and pepper. I think next time I will season the ground beef with salt and pepper before adding the spice mixture and the water. I also made refried beans for our side dish. I love Ellie Krieger's recipe for refried beans.

Ethan loved the homemade tortilla, he did eat a little of the taco meat, but he was all about finishing the tortilla.

From Annie's Eats Website
Homemade Taco Seasoning
4 tbsp. chili powder
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. paprika
3 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well to blend. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

To prepare taco meat, use 2 heaping tablespoons in place of a package of taco seasoning (cook approximately 1 lb. of beef or chicken, season meat with salt and pepper to taste; add 1 cup of water with the seasoning, and simmer until the liquid is almost completely gone.)


From Ellie Krieger
Refried Beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder or other chili powder
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, preferable low-sodium, drained and rinsed
2/3 cu low-sodium chick broth, plus more if needed
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and chili powder and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the beans and chicken broth and cook until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Mash the beans coarsely with the back of a wooden spoon, adding more chicken broth to moisten, if needed Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the cilantro.

Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup each)