Monday, May 07, 2007

Wrapping up the first day of jury duty with spicy tacos!

Nothing too exciting to report on the jury duty front today... I spent 6 1/2 hours waiting, while tortured and forced to watch the TV Land channel I might add, and was then sent home. A group of 40 people did get chosen to go in front of the judge - the clerk told us after they left that whoever was picked from that group were going to be involved in a 2 week trial! Wow! Guess we'll see how tomorrow goes...

Thankfully, tonight's dinner was pretty laid back and didn't take too much time to come together. I loved the fact that in this recipe, Crispy Taco Shells with Lean and Spicy Meat, you actually create your own hard shells which you lightly season with chili powder and salt. Once you warm a few tortillas in the microwave, they are simply spritzed with canola oil spray, seasoned and then draped over a rack in the oven to form the shell. The tops of mine did seem to fold in a bit more than I would have liked, but nonetheless, the results were very good! To lighten the meat for the tacos, ground sirloin is cut with ground turkey - this way you still get that beefy flavor, but it is not as heavy. The meat is first browned with an onion, then diced tomatoes with green chiles, smoky cumin and oregano are added. To give the mixture some heat, ground chipotle chiles are also added in to season the meat - if you don't have this or don't want heat, you could always use chili powder instead to give it that rich "taco" flavor.

Once you stuff the crispy shells, feel free to top them with your favorite additions - we opted for crisp shredded romaine and a bit of grated sharp cheddar. We were pleased with how crispy the shells stayed against the juicy taco meat - they had that shattering effect when you bit into them. That little extra bit of seasoning on the outside was just the perfect touch to tie all the flavors together.

7 comments:

  1. I was looking to do this recipe soon, but thought I would do it as a taco salad, and not do the shells. How is the meat itself, apart from the shell?

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  2. As someone who has been summoned for jury duty twice, I feel your pain!

    I've never been chosen for a jury, but still, I understand how it feels.

    Love the food!

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  3. So does that you mean you've gotten out of doing jury duty? Or is there still a chance?

    When you use ground turkey, do you use ground white meat, or a mixture of both white meat and dark meat? I've noticed the white meat is quite a bit more expensive.

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  4. reading your recipe just made my mouth water.Using beef and turkey also cuts down on the calories and you get additional protein in your meal.I linked on to your blog from Jasmin's blog.I'll definately be comming back for some more delicious recipes from you :)

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  5. My son loves tacos and he makes them all the time. We'll have to try this recipe... looks great.

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  6. Your tacos look great.

    I've not been called for jury duty either. Hope you don't get anything too horrible if you are the lucky (or unlucky depending on how you look at it) one who is chosen!

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  7. Susan - The meat itself was still quite good as long as make sure to season it well!

    Ivonne - Thanks!

    Emilie - Nope, I still have to call back each day to see. I like to use what is usually labeled 93% for turkey - I find the 99% comes out a little dry for us.

    Kate - Thanks! I hope you find more recipes to make here... we have quite a selection on the left hand side!

    Jennifer - Let me know what you think!

    Kelly-Jane - It really has been an interesting experience so far, though a bit boring!

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