Taco Salad

I made some taco meat (see previous post here) over the weekend for lunch and for a quick dinner made Taco Meat on Monday. Mom, AKA me, has started Weight Watchers through my work and the meetings are late on Monday so I came home and needed a quick meal. I decided to make a taco salad with the left over meat.

Taco Salad:

2 hearts of romain, shredded

2 cups of leftover taco meat

1/2 can of black beans, rinsed

1 cup cheese
1 handful of chips, crunched
2 tbsp Spicy Ranch Dressing
1 tomato, chopped.

1. Throw all ingredients together in a salad bowl, toss, and eat.

*Super easy, super fast, and tasty!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos #2

Refer back to this post, this was the scrumptious slow cooker chicken taco meat from Saturday we then ate them as hard tacos on Monday. They were still very delicious! Just another way to have this delicious meat, next time I make this meat I will have to try enchiladas as my leftover makeover.

BEST EVER! Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos

At one of our local farmers markets our local Mexican Grocery store, and it is a big super market, has a little stall where they sell the most delicious tacos. These reminded me of those tacos! So good! And oddly very filling, we could only eat three a piece (and they are the traditional small corn tortillas). And even if you don't particularly care for soft corn tortillas you have to at least try them here it just really can't compare. And this makes a lot so we will have having them over the next week! So fresh and tasty with different textures and spices.. mmm..YUM!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: On high, 3 hours (or on low, 6-7 hours)
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless
1 white onion, chopped divided in half
4 garlic clove(s), thinly sliced
1 cup prepared chunky salsa, plus more for serving
2 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 small white corn tortillas
 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime cut into wedges
 [1] In slow cooker, combine chicken, 1/2 chopped onion, garlic, salsa, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours).
[2] Transfer chicken to a serving bowl, and shred, using two forks; moisten with cooking juices. Heat the tortillas in a dry pan on stove top about ten seconds per side and then pop into a tent of tin foil to keep warm and pliable.
[3] Top the tortillas with shredded chicken, pieces of raw chopped onion, sprinkle with cilantro, and use the juice from one wedge of lime per serving.
Linked to Family Food Fridays.

*Adapted from a Relish recipe.

Tacos!

While the act of holding a folded taco is still a hard thing to tackle for a two year old the basic contents are very kid friendly. And I am not going to take credit for this recipe, this is coming from my mom so I will call it Nancy's Tacos. I love this recipe because it sneaks more veggies in, and stretches the amount of meat you have so you can in fact have multiple meals, my favorite second go 'rounds are obviously taco salad and I also am partial to taco soup!

Nancy's Tacos

1 lb hamburger

1 medium russet potato, shredded

2 medium carrots, shredded

1 1/2 onion, chopped and divided (one whole onion with beef, 1/2 onion fresh for tacos)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 heart of romaine, shredded
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 cup of Greek yogurt
Salsa to taste

1. Brown meat with onions, when the meat is cooked through add the shredded carrots and potato with taco seasoning and water (follow package directions on the amount of water needed). Check the taste you might need a bit more taco seasoning or chili powder and/or cumin the carrots and potato definitely soak up a bit of flavor.
     *I know the potatoes and carrots sound odd, but trust me! It adds a thick starchiness/creaminess and not
       to mention the extra nutrients you are getting, and you are stretching the amount of filling you get!
2. Cut up the remainder of the ingredients and put them in small ramekin's for easy assembly.
3. Create Taco buffet for the whole family, make however you want!

I realize that this wasn't on the original menu plan, but it was a quick fix for me, and my husband wasn't feeling well and he thought this sounded good. Plus I think this is a great recipe, those in my extended family that have had this while I was growing up at a pot luck or what not have always loved it, and I am excited to get it out into the void and see if anyone is willing to try it. If you do let me know! I also apologize for the photo but I have to ask, how do you really take an appetizing photo of a taco? And if you have a food processor, drag it out to shred the potatoes and carrots, I can remember being very young and that being my job. What I would've given for a processor back then!
                     

    
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