Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Taco Seasoning


























So when I was at Costco this weekend I got a wild hair and bought 3 pounds of organic ground beef. I never cook with ground beef, or really red meat in general, but bought it for two reasons. #1 - Costco makes me buy things I don't really need and #2 - I am in a major cooking rut and figured this would help me expand my culinary experiments. I love how Costco's meat comes in small portions that you can freeze - so now 2 pounds are in the freezer and I don't feel pressure to eat that much beef in one week. I also stocked up on organic chicken and salmon while I was there. If you haven't eaten Costco's salmon yet, you must try it - I swear it is the best grocery store salmon there is (with the exception of Whole Foods fresh caught salmon of course).

About this cooking rut - I guess I've been so busy lately that when I do have time to cook, I have just been throwing stuff together at the last minute and not going by a plan. I hate this because cooking is where I like to unwind at the end of the day, and really where I feel most creative. Lord knows I lack creativity in a lot of other arenas! I also feel like I've made every vegetarian dish and chicken dish in the book, so when I do have time to cook, I have had a hard time thinking of anything new and exciting.  Do you guys have cooking ruts? What do you do to get past them?


Anyway, I digress. After eating tacos at my friend Diana's house last week I've been craving them non stop, so decided to put that beef into action and make tacos last night. When I started pulling out the ingredients I realized I was lacking a lot of stuff - taco seasoning, salsa, and sour cream. Whoops. Luckily John stopped at CVS and grabbed some salsa, and with "spring break" right around the corner, I didn't mind skipping the sour cream. For the taco seasoning? I googled homemade taco seasoning and found a bunch of options. I ended up making this version and it was really good! Plus it lacked all of the sodium that the store bought packets I usually buy have. Taco seasoning packets are so easy I can't say that I'll never buy one again, but this is a nice alternative if you have the time and want to control exactly what goes into your food.

















Taco Seasoning
Recipe Source: Allrecipes.com
Seasons 1 lb of meat

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. Can store in an airtight container in your spice rack.


5 comments:

  1. I definitely get into cooking ruts too. Maybe you should buy a new cookbook if you feel like you've made everything in the ones that you already have. I am a big cookbook hoarder!

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  2. Yummy! I will have to try this! Although I know it will be hard to tear Eric away from his beloved McCormick's taco seasoning! And yes, unfortunately, I am serious.

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  3. homemade taco seasoning is sooo much better for you than the pre-packaged stuff. the packets are full of msg and sodium. yikes!

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  4. This sounds great! I've been trying to break the family from packaged foods, so this will be perfect. Thanks :)

    Jen
    http://www.jenslosinit.com/

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  5. This is fabulous, I used fresh garlic & onion & have lots of fresh Oregano in my garden if ever you need any!

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