South Of The Border Essentials Awesome Taco Meat Recipes

SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER BEEF TACO SALAD WITH PICKLED ONION, AVOCADO DRESSING & LIME CREMA

Steps:

• • Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice half the onion; finely chop remaining. Zest and quarter lime. Peel and mince or grate garlic. Trim and discard root end from lettuce; halve lengthwise, then chop crosswise into 1-inch ribbons. Dice tomato into ½-inch pieces. Gently crush tortilla chips in their bag into small pieces.
• • In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine sliced onion, juice from two lime wedges, ½ tsp sugar, 1 TBSP water, and a pinch of salt (for 4 servings, use juice from four lime wedges, 1 tsp sugar, 2 TBSP water, and 2 pinches of salt). Microwave until onion is softened, 30 seconds. Set aside to pickle; stirring occasionally.
• • In a large bowl, combine guacamole, half the lime zest, juice from one lime wedge (two wedges for 4 servings), 1 TBSP olive oil (2 TBSP for 4), and a pinch of garlic. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a thick drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• • In a second small bowl, combine sour cream and remaining lime zest. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
• • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion; cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 2-3 minutes. • Add beef*, Southwest Spice, remaining garlic, ¾ tsp salt (1½ tsp for 4 servings), and pepper. Cook, breaking meat up into pieces, until almost cooked through, 3-5 minutes. • Add hot sauce and ¼ cup water (1⁄3 cup for 4). Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until liquid has absorbed and beef is cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• • Add lettuce to bowl with dressing. Toss until thoroughly coated. • Divide salad between bowls. Top with beef (draining excess grease if necessary), tomato, pickled onion (draining first), and tortilla chips. Drizzle crema over top and serve.

S.O.B. (SOUTH OF THE BORDER) CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until almost tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Crumble the turkey in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook and stir until evenly brown; drain. Add onion to browned turkey meat and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, gravy mix and chili powder until combined then mix in the corn and macaroni. Cover; reduce heat to low and simmer, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Serve on a bed of tortilla chips topped with shredded lettuce and sour cream.

JULIE'S SOUTH OF THE BORDER TACOS

Steps:

• Brown ground beef in skillet, add chopped onions halfway through.
• Drain fat from beef.
• Add taco seasoning packet and add water as directed on package. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
• Bring heat up to medium and add corn. Stir until well mixed.
• Add sugar and mix well. Heat through.
• Add salsa and hot sauce.
• Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
• Serve as a substitute for tacos (meat mixture with tortillas, shredded cheddar, lettuce, and sour cream), with tortilla chips, or in a Mexican salad.
• Enjoy!

SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER MEAT LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 12 ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Press into a 9x5-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 hour or until meat is no longer pink and a thermometer reads 160°., Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Drizzle with salsa if desired.

BAB'S SOUTH OF THE BORDER TACO DIP

Steps:

• Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain the excess grease.
• Stir in the garlic, chipotle peppers, cumin, and chili powder; cook just until the flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, mix the cream cheese, red bell pepper, and 2 teaspoons lime juice to make a spreadable mixture. Layer the cream cheese mixture in the bottom of a large springform pan or 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Spread the cooled beef mixture over the cream cheese.
• Top the beef layer with layers of tomato, black olives, Cheddar cheese, half the lettuce, green onion, remaining lettuce, and the taco sauce.
• Lightly toss the avocados with juice and zest of 2 limes; spread the avocados over the taco sauce.
• Finish the dip by dotting dollops of sour cream all over the top of the dish and sprinkling with cilantro.