Taco Tuesday

Its Taco Tuesday in my kitchen!  I love Mexican food and tacos are another easy weeknight meal.   You can have a delicious dinner ready in about 20 minutes.  Now, who doesn't love Taco Tuesday?

 

Ingredients

¾ to 1 pound ground beef (You can substitute with ground turkey.)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ tsp cumin

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 packet taco seasoning mix

16 oz can refried beans (I used a fat free version.)

flour tortillas or taco shells (I used flaxseed & blue corn tortillas.)

Toppings

1 avocado, diced

shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend of cheddar, monterey jack, colby and mozzarella cheeses.)

cherry tomatoes, halved

lettuce

salsa

sour cream (I used a light version.)

Directions

For the beef:

Heat ½ teaspoon vegetable oil in a large skillet/pan on medium high heat.  Add ground beef with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cumin.   Stir beef while cooking until no longer pink.  Drain well.  Stir in taco seasoning mix and water.  Continue to cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the refried beans:

Empty refried beans in a small saucepan over low medium heat, stirring occasionally.  This should only take about 5 minutes.  (You can also warm up refried beans in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes.)

For the tacos:

Warm the tortillas or taco shells according to packaged directions.  (I warmed 2 tortillas in the microwave covered with a moist paper towel for 10 seconds on high.) 

Spoon refried beans and beef onto tortilla.  Top with cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa, and sour cream.  Feel free to add other toppings or omit some toppings.

I like to add the refried beans first and then the beef.  Sprinkle some cheese on top.

Next I added some lettuce.

Add some tomatoes.

Add the avocado and a little bit of salsa.

And last, but not least, the sour cream!

Serves 4-6 or 2 with lots of leftovers.  I will probably make a taco salad with the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, yum!  

Easy Spinach and Clams Linguine

I made this yummy pasta dish for dinner tonight.  It was easy for me since I had already roasted a dozen roma tomatoes over the weekend.  This is also simple to make on a weeknight since you don't need too many ingredients.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pound dry linguine pasta

16 ounces spinach, washed

6.5 ounces chopped clams in clam juice (reserve juice)

4 or 5 roma tomatoes, roasted and chopped

4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

For the tomatoes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut tomatoes in half.  In a bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and halved tomatoes.    Line a baking sheet with foil and place tomatoes cut side up.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. (You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate.)

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain pasta.

For the spinach:

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet/pan on medium high heat.  Add garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.  Add the spinach to the pan.  Use a spatula to turn the spinach over in the pan to coat with olive oil and garlic.  Continue to do this until most of the spinach is coated.  Cover the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Uncover the pan and turn the spinach over again.  Cover the pan and cook for an additional minute.  The spinach should be completely wilted after cooking for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and place into another bowl with the excess liquid.

Meanwhile, in the same large skillet used to cook the spinach, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat.  Add the chopped clams and roasted, chopped roma tomatoes.   Add the reserved clam juice.  Add in the spinach with excess liquid.  Add the cooked pasta.   Add the parmesan cheese and toss to combine.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6 or 2 with leftovers for lunch tomorrow :)