Twist on Tacos

Crispy Beef and Bean Tacos (Beef & Beans mixture)

Made: January 12, 2013

For Crispy shells
Ingredients
- 8 6in corn tortillas
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
- Position the oven rack in the center of the oven
- Preheat the oven to 375 F
- Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels
- Microwave on high about 40 seconds until warm and softened
- Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil, sprinkle with salt
- Slide oven rack out slightly
- Carefully drape each tortilla over two bard of oven rack, forming shells with flat bottoms
- Bake about 7 minutes until crispy
- Using tongs, transfer warm shells to a plate (or allow to cool completely on oven rack)
(These can be made a day in advance)

Ingredients
Beef & Bean filling
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup water

Toppings (examples given from the book)
- 1 medium tomato, diced and seeded
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1'2 cup shredded romaine lettuce
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Ingredients
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink
- Add beans and garlic
- Cook and stir for 2 minutes
- Add chili powder, oregano, salt, cayenne pepper and the water
- Cook and stir for 2 minutes until heated through
- To serve, divide the filling among the shells
- Serve toppings in separate bowls to top the meat

Cripsy Beef and Bean Tacos (finished tacos)

I'm a soft shell person, so I had soft shells for mine. I topped mine with sour cream, shredded lettuce, shredded Cheddar/American cheese mix and cherry tomatoes diced. Overall, this is a lighter version of a taco seasoning that you would get from the packets. It wasn't as powerful or overwhelming with the seasoning you'd be used to, but I did like the change in taste,

(Recipe used: Better Homes and Gardens - Annual Recipes 2012)