One of our family’s favorite meals and a Friday routine is Taco Night. Our secret to really delicious tacos at home?
Frying the tortillas in oil.
I use a cast iron skillet and pour about a half inch of peanut oil or olive oil in it on medium heat. When bubbles start to appear, I place a small corn tortilla in the pan. It takes a few seconds to cook, then I lift it out with two forks, folding it in half first.
Then I place the tortilla on a paper towel or paper bag to drain. If you cook them for less time, they’re softer and more pliable but greasier. Cook them a few seconds more and they’re a little chewier but less greasy. This makes the shells absolutely delicious!
Then we pile the table with all the fixings. To make things easier, we have two bowls for everything, one on each end of the table so everything’s in everyone’s reach.
- Salsa (hot for the grownups, mild for the kids. I usually make mine homemade.)
- Sour cream
- Ground beef, seasoned
- Ground turkey, seasoned
- Refried beans
- Black beans
- Guacamole (super easy to make, simply mash fresh ripe avocado with salt and pepper and a little lime or lemon juice and diced onion)
- Diced onions
- Diced tomatoes
- Diced black olives
- Shredded cheese
What could be better? All the kids enjoy helping out and there’s something for everyone to do, whether it’s opening cans or slicing the olives (easy to do with a small knife) or simply pouring the cheese into bowls. Tacos are certainly nutritious too. The cheese and corn tortillas provide calcium, the cheese, meat and beans provide high quality protein, and there are fresh raw veggies too for vitamins and minerals.
Yum!
