Tacos

Get your Taco Tuesday on this week. Forget the taco kit and make your own taco seasoning and tomato salsa from scratch – it is so easy and preservative and sugar free. Just grab some hard or soft tacos and your favourite fillings – olé!

HOMEMADE TACO MIX

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 30 mins or more for better flavour
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 20ml / 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 brown (yellow) onion, finely diced
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed or grated
• 500g of beef mince / ground beef
• 1 teaspoon of coriander ground
• 1 teaspoon of cumin ground
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• 4 tablespoons of tomato paste (tomato concentrate)
• ½ cup of water
• 8–12 hard or soft taco shells (or as many as needed)
• 1 avocado, diced
• ½ an iceberg lettuce, finally sliced (or any salad green you have available)
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup / 100g of grated cheese
• 1 cup of sour cream or greek yoghurt

Homemade tomato salsa

• 400g/14oz of tinned diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon of pickling liquid from jalapeño chillies
• ½ green capsicum, finely diced
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent.
2. Add the meat and brown, then add the coriander, cumin, salt, tomato paste/concentrate and water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes or more. The meat mix should be quite dry.
3. Make the salsa, place the ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Leave aside to cool.
4. In the meantime, preheat the oven and heat tacos as per packet instructions.
5. Prepare all the other ingredients and place in bowls in the centre of the table.
6. When tacos are heated through, serve immediately.
7. Freeze any leftover tomato salsa for next time in a zip lock bag or freezer-proof container.

TIP
Making your own taco mix and tomato salsa helps control the ingredients. The taste is great, and means you can avoid the preservatives of the packet mixes.