What's for Dinner.......

Semi-Homemade, Healthy Chalupas

 



I took the recipe from Pioneer Woman, who I just adore! and modified it to fit our lifestyle. (She uses lots of cream, butter and other heavy food materials in almost everything she makes. I don't cook with those things, so I have to do some tweaking... )

First thing I did was cook the ground beef. I use the 93/7 cut of ground beef, preferably fresh from the butcher counter. I browned it in the skillet with a dash of minced garlic and at least half cup of diced onions. (Either white or red, depending upon which is cheaper at HEB that day) After the meat has a nice golden color and a small crust on top, I place it in Tupperware for the flavors to mesh and get yummy!

Second, I placed one can of black beans in a sauce pan with half of a taco seasoning mixture (no salt added mix) from our HEB with the major flavors of Cumin and Chipotle. The beans cook on low-medium for maybe 5 minutes....make sure you stir regularly!! You want them to look like refried beans. (You could use pinto beans or red beans if you want. We prefer black beans at my house because of their protein count.) Once the consistency is there, place off to the side. BTW, you can smell the beans and the seasoning as they cook! Yummy!!!

Third, the tortillas. Now, I buy flour tortillas at HEB because I do not have my own tortilla maker... sad day! If I had one in a bigger kitchen, I would totally do my own tortillas. But anywho, I buy them and rub the edges just lightly with olive oil so they get a nice golden brown. I placed them by themselves in the oven at 425 heat for about 3-5 minutes and then took them out. Basically, you want the edges to be golden brown with a slightly soft center. If the tortillas puff up, no biggie! Take them out, poke a hole in the middle with your knife and they will go right back down... hehe!

Fourth, you take the tortillas out and assemble!!

-Place 1/3 to 1/4 cup of bean mixture on base of tortilla and spread around. (bigger tortilla, more stuff on top!)

-Place 1/3 cup mixture of meat on top of beans

-Place 4 strips of jalapenos on meat (I keep the seeds. I had already grilled these in a skillet with a small teaspoon of olive oil)

-Small pinch of cheese (I use Mexican Cheese, but you can use whatever)

-Put back in oven until cheese melts

-Place handful of lettuce (mixture of roughly chopped Romaine and Iceberg lettuce)

-Place 2 to 3 spoons of Pico (I use HEB Pico Mix at the medium spicy setting)

-Place dollop of sour cream

-Another small pinch of cheese and back into oven until it melts

 

Now, you can do any mixture of toppings that you like! Corn, avocado, peppers etc. This is just what I had on hand, plus Dylan really likes jalapenos. You can always add more or less of something too, depending upon your food preferences or dietary needs. (EX: I don't use the sour cream nor do I put the first pinch of cheese on there)

 

Enjoy with chips and salsa and Bon Appetite!!!!