Friday, September 21, 2012

Taco Lettuce Wraps

This evening I made Taco Lettuce Wraps for dinner.  It was quick and easy to put together and absolutely delicious.  One of hubby's and my favorite things we used to eat at P.F. Chang's was their chicken lettuce wraps...so I knew these would be good too because we both love tacos as well.  I decided to put together my own taco seasoning.  I found a recipe that looked good, and then tweaked it to season it the way I like.  The best part about it was there was nothing in the seasoning mix that was an unidentifiable ingredient.  It was maybe a tad more than "medium" in terms of spiciness, but could easily be adjusted up or down to suit your taste.  I served them with diced avocados, cherry tomatoes, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, and sour cream.  Hubby added a little salsa to his too.  Check out the pictures below as well as the simple recipe that follows.  Enjoy!

VOILA!
Pretty & Tasty!
Here's a closer look...
BOOM!

TACO LETTUCE WRAPS

INGREDIENTS:

1 to 1.25 pounds of ground beef (I used ground sirloin)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Taco Seasoning:
    2 teaspoons chili powder
    1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/4 teaspoon onion powder
    1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
    1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
    1/4 teaspoon paprika
    1 teaspoon ground cumin
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup water
Lettuce leaves (iceberg, romaine, butter or your favorite)
Garnish/Toppings: avocado, sharp cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, sour cream, salsa

DIRECTIONS:

In a skillet or frying pan, brown ground beef in olive oil; drain, if desired.  Measure and blend all the taco seasoning spices together in a small bowl.  When beef is browned, add taco seasoning and mix well.  Add water (you can increase or decrease the amount) and mix well and let simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated (15-20 minutes).  Simmering the meat in the water helps moisten the meat and keep it juicy.  Fill lettuce leaves with meat mixture and garnish as desired.


            

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great idea -- we love Mexican food and I just don't have the time to experiment -- so glad you have this blog and these ideas -- you are awesome! Thank you! Terry Duncan

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks Terry -- I appreciate it. Hope you enjoy!

Anonymous said...

I made this tonight but instead of lettuce wraps I shredded the lettuce and made taco salads. The seasoning you created was perfect!! Bev

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Thanks, Bev...that sounds like a great idea too -- there are a variety of different things you can do with the seasoned meat -- I even made an omelet with it. Glad you liked the seasoning -- the great thing is you can easily adjust the various amounts of each to customize them just for you and you don't get all the other "fillers, wheat, maltodextrin, etc." like in the packaged mixes...it's 100% spices.

Sherry said...

Made these tonight and they were the best! This will definitely be our go to recipe for tacos! Thanks for all your amazing recipes!

Gourmet Girl Cooks said...

Hi Sherry! I am so glad you enjoyed them -- they are so simple to make, too! :-)