Who needs taco seasoning?

Taco Seasoning - i'll never buy it again. It's not worth the money, even if it is cheap. You can make much better tacos without it, and without all extra stuff like preservatives and mystery added ingredients.

OLD EL PASO TACO SEASONING INGREDIENTS:
Maltodextrin, salt, chili pepper, onion powder, spice, monosodium glutamate, corn starch, yellow corn flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide (anticaking agent), natural flavor, ethoxyquin (preservative).

Recently i've been making a concerted effort to use more in season vegetables. This not only makes dinner healthier, but bulks up the meal with more food while still remaining very cheap. Eggplant, summer squash and green peppers are constantly on sale right now at the markets. Generally i find them for less than a dollar a pound. This week eggplants were $0.79 a pound, you can't pass that up. Ground turkey was also $1.99 a pound so i decided on making tacos for dinner. I figured that i could chop up the eggplant into a small 1/2 inch dice, cook it down a bit and season it well where you almost wouldn't even realize it was there. It mingled nicely with the meat and was delicious. I bet this would also taste great with some zucchini. When i made this last night, Adam said it made his list of "top ten dinners" that i've ever made.

I wanted to experiment with making my own taco seasoning since i find that when the store bought mixes are used, it often doesnt make me feel so great - probably from all the unnecessary added ingredients listed above, along with a lot of sodium. I looked at a couple taco recipes online and came up with my own mixture.

TURKEY TACO'S (4-6 servings depending how hungry you are)

1.3 lbs. Ground Turkey

1 Eggplant

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 can of diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained

1 can of black beans, mostly drained (keep some liquid) + 1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar

Shredded Cheese for topping the tacos

1 1/2 Tbs. Chili Powder (i used Ancho Chili Powder)

2 tsp. Cumin

1 1/2 tsp Oregano

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Fresh ground Black Pepper

1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

(all seasonings are estimates, i didnt measure exactly - adjust seasoning to taste as you're cooking)

In a large pan, brown meat then add vegetables and seasonings. Stir well to combine. The eggplant will decrease in size significantly. Add the diced tomatoes and cook vegetables, stirring often. While cooking meat and veggies, in a separate small pan cook down the beans with a splash of balsamic vinegar, plus some salt and pepper. (Balsamic vinegar is my not-so-secret ingredient in black beans). Add beans to pan with the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. My version is fairly mild in spiciness (but still full of flavor), so kick up the spice even more if you'd like!

Serve in whole wheat wraps, or taco shells with shredded cheese and other topping as desired. I'm doing a low carb diet so i just ate the meat and veggie mixture in bowl with some shredded cheese. i didnt miss the wrap or taco shell in the least bit!

Adam and I each had a healthy serving and there was plenty left for me to bring for lunch and for a 2nd dinner. Total cost was about $6 (i had the cheese and the whole wheat wraps already on hand). When people claim that you can't eat healthy on a budget, they're just not trying hard enough. Watch the sales, review the circulars and buy in season vegetables. You could stretch this meal even further by making some brown rice to go with it. It was 100x better than taco bell, much cheaper and way healthier!

A quick guide to what vegetables and fruits are in season