When you love food as much as we love food, deeply satisfying meals that are lower in calories — to make up for all those fabulous high calorie meals and foods we’ve been tasting/eating/scarfing down– are vital to our health and wardrobes. At the end of a day of baking, or cooking and eating photographing dishes made with rivers of cream and silos of butter, a pleasurable, satisfying, robustly flavorful meal with moderate calories saves us from waistline ruination.
Super Fast Beef Tacos
1 pound (93% lean) ground beef*
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)p
½ medium green pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
3 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
1 cup shredded reduced fat Dubliner (or cheddar)
- Cook the beef in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, breaking it into crumbles with your spoon, until it is about halfway browned, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, green pepper, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper and cook, continuing to break it into crumbles, until the onion is softened, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is thickened and mostly absorbed, about 6-7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Heat the tortillas. (See below). Spoon the beef mixture on half of each; top with the lettuce and cheese and fold in half. Serve immediately.
*Lean ground turkey or chicken may be substituted
Makes 4 servings
Nutritional analysis for each serving: 374 calories, 31 g protein, 34 g carbohydrates, 5 g fiber, 13 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 748 mg sodium
How to Heat Tortillas
Gas Stove Method
Working one at a time, place the tortilla directly on the burner. When the heat just begins to cause it to curl up hear and there, check the underside- turn the tortilla over when you light brown spots form. Warm it on the second side just a few seconds. Stack the warmed tortillas on a plate and keep them covered with a damp cloth or paper towel.
Microwave Method
Stack the tortillas on a plate and cover with a damp cloth or paper towel. Depending on the power of your microwave, warm them on high for about 30 seconds.
