Taco Night!

Long before I moved to Tucson, this New York girl learned to appreciate a good taco, thanks to my years living in Houston and Austin, Texas.  In fact, my first veg taco was at Martin Brothers Cafe in Austin, which sadly isn’t around anymore (sigh).  At Martin Brothers, they’d serve up tacos filled with black beans, lettuce, tomato, shredded carrots, and homemade salsa.  Yummmm!

Last night, we had “taco night” at home, and I’ve gotten a little creative by adding a hint of italiano to our Mexican fiesta.  Really, when it comes to fixins’ for a taco, you can get as imaginative as you want.  Here’s the basic recipe, including my personal touches.  But the real fun will be coming up with your own ideas about what to add — go wild!

• Trader Joe’s (Trader Jose’s) Taco Shells
  TJ’s hard taco shells are made with organic stoneground yellow corn, which gives the taco a nice crunch.  Similar taco shells from other stores or other brands are fine, or maybe you prefer a soft taco.
• Smart Ground by Lifeline
  “Mexican Style” seasoned veggie protein crumbles.  These take just 5 minutes to heat up in a skillet.  Low-cal and non-fat and delicious.  My Italian touch, a very generous sprinkling of garlic powder.  Note to my Texas friends: Smart ground also is available in “Tex Mex” style.
• Tomatoes-on-the-vine, diced
• Arugula (any lettuce works, shredded)
• Jalapeno peppers, thinly sliced (optional)
• Organic Black Beans (I use Trader Joe’s)
• Tofutti Sour Supreme
  Non-dairy imitation sour cream.  You must try this — you’ll never look back at regular sour cream again! Lactose-free, butterfat free. A tablespoon has only 2.5 grams of fat!
• Salsa
  So many possibilities! I like the fruity versions especially during the summer months.  One of my Facebook friends recently posted that she’d made mango-pineapple-tomato salsa.  I may have to try whipping up some of that myself…

This is an inexpensive meal and super-quick to get on the table.  Besides heating up the Smart Ground and the black beans, the only preparation is chopping or shredding your “extras.”  In a matter of minutes you can put together your own taco night, whether you’re dining solo or feeding a family.  Enjoy!

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