Young professional by day and culinary adventurer by night, Alicia loves to share hospitality and homecooked meals with friends. She writes Jaybird, a blog about finding home and happiness wherever life takes you. Say hi on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and check out her recipe collections on Pinterest!
Do you ever try a new recipe and get so excited about it that you want to have it for dinner every night? That’s how I’ve been feeling about lettuce tacos. Quick and easy to put together, the lettuce taco shells can be filled with whatever you want. Here, I’ve included a flavorful taco spice recipe that can be used with chicken or ground beef, as well as instructions for how to make both.
Start by mixing up a batch of taco seasoning. If you just want to try it, the recipe below makes enough for a pound of ground beef. If you have faith and are ready to mix up a bulk batch, check out the original recipe from Linda Sue here (just please skip the MSG!). You can use one heaping tablespoon per pound of meat.
Linda’s Taco Seasoning
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes or onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix all of the spices together in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over the raw ground beef before cooking.
Cook the Meat
For round one, I used one pound of ground beef and a heaping tablespoon of Linda’s Taco Seasoning. Season raw beef while heating one tablespoon of coconut or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add meat to the skillet and cook until it is browned. Make sure you break up the beef with a spatula as it cooks.
For round two, I made my weekly roast chicken and filled the tacos with leftover shredded meat and onions mixed with a tablespoon of pan drippings and taco seasoning.
Assemble Your Tacos
To assemble your tacos, wash one head of butter lettuce. Remove and dry leaves. Here are your taco shells! Now, fill them up with whatever toppings sound good to you. I gathered:
– Two avocadoes, one lime, salt, pepper, and paprika to make guacamole
– Fresh, all natural salsa from Trader Joe’s
– One jicama root, which I peeled and sliced into matchsticks
– One carrot, julienned, for garnish
– Chopped cilantro
Make yourself a serving station and load those lettuce shells up with as much meat and toppings as will fit. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the tacos for an extra tangy kick.
Leftovers?
Ripped leaves of lettuce or smaller pieces from the center of the head make a great base for a taco salad. Fill a container with lettuce and cover with leftover meat and toppings for a simple, satisfying lunch.
These tasty lettuce tacos were inspired by the Surf and Turf Lettuce Tacos at Nom Nom Paleo.
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