# New ideas for tacos?



## She Eats Cheese (Oct 20, 2011)

Tonight I made tacos for dinner and I usually make it from a box recipe but I'm getting bored with that. Anybody have some ideas how to spice up my tacos?


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## Hammster (Oct 20, 2011)

Could you share your box recipe? That might help people provide ideas that aren't part of the box recipe.


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## She Eats Cheese (Oct 20, 2011)

Sure  I usually buy the Ortega taco kit which supplies the hard shells, taco seasoning and taco sauce. I use fresh ground beef and add the lettuce tomatoes and cheese.  I'm just bored of the packaged stuff and would like to learn how to make tacos from scratch!


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## Dawgluver (Oct 20, 2011)

You might try any of these:  Pickled radish, cabbage slaw, diced avocado, smashed up beans, mixing chorizo in with the burger.  Also, marinated minced pork (see Panzeretti's recent recipe), crema, diced fresh peppers, olives, green onion.  Switch up with shredded chicken or fish.  Flour or soft corn tortillas.  Different cheeses.  Any packet of taco seasoning, or make your own!

Love tacos!


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## pacanis (Oct 20, 2011)

I make tacos in one form or another all the time. I just made some new (to me) tacos last Sunday. Tacos are fun because you can vary them so much by just changing a few simple things, hard shell, soft shell, sauce, ground burger, grilled steak, chicken, fish, different cheeses... and I've made these before, too, for something really outside the box Must Have Mushroom & Cheese Tacos - Recipes at Penzeys Spices
Nothing wrong with the box either. It's TNT IMO. I prefer Old El Paso shells though, as they are lighter tasting than Ortega. Plus you can get them in super stuffer size.
Loooooove tacos.


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## Dawgluver (Oct 20, 2011)

pacanis said:
			
		

> I make tacos in one form or another all the time. I just made some new (to me) tacos last Sunday. Tacos are fun because you can vary them so much by just changing a few simple things, hard shell, soft shell, sauce, ground burger, grilled steak, chicken, fish, different cheeses... and I've made these before, too, for something really outside the box Must Have Mushroom & Cheese Tacos - Recipes at Penzeys Spices
> Nothing wrong with the box either. It's TNT IMO. I prefer Old El Paso shells though, as they are lighter tasting than Ortega. Plus you can get them in super stuffer size.
> Loooooove tacos.



Agree on the OEP box tacos, Pac.


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## She Eats Cheese (Oct 20, 2011)

pacanis said:
			
		

> I make tacos in one form or another all the time. I just made some new (to me) tacos last Sunday. Tacos are fun because you can vary them so much by just changing a few simple things, hard shell, soft shell, sauce, ground burger, grilled steak, chicken, fish, different cheeses... and I've made these before, too, for something really outside the box Must Have Mushroom & Cheese Tacos - Recipes at Penzeys Spices
> Nothing wrong with the box either. It's TNT IMO. I prefer Old El Paso shells though, as they are lighter tasting than Ortega. Plus you can get them in super stuffer size.
> Loooooove tacos.



Thanks for that link. I think I'll try that but I don't know about adding carrots lol


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## bakechef (Oct 20, 2011)

I  buy taco seasoning in bulk from penzys, which is great for seasoning other things.  I will take some of the seasoning, lime juice, fresh garlic and some olive oil and make a marinade for chicken, let it marinade for a couple hours in the fridge and grill ( pound mine flat before marinating for even cooking).  I slice the grilled chicken and use what ever toppings I'm in the mood for, I prefer the flour tortillas for this one.


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## pacanis (Oct 20, 2011)

She Eats Cheese said:


> Thanks for that link. I think I'll try that but I don't know about adding carrots lol


 
Well you said you were getting bored 
To tell the truth, I didn't even notice the carrots, but they had to be good for me... Being a veggie and all


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## She Eats Cheese (Oct 20, 2011)

I can be daring so I'll give it a try. Not Sure if my husband will like it!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 21, 2011)

She Eats Cheese said:


> I can be daring so I'll give it a try. Not Sure if my husband will like it!



That's a case of, "Don't ask me, just take a taste, then you can tell me if you like it or not."  VERY few things are not tasted and it's usually just because he knows what the ingredients are.  Shrek has found out he likes a lot of things he thought he hated.


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## jess11 (Oct 21, 2011)

Ooo - we love tacos at our house! 

My favorite way - get your hands on some shredded roast (I bottle beef so I can just use a pint of that for my recipes). Soften some chopped onion in oil, add the beef, maybe some canned green chiles (I'll also add black beans if I'm wanting to stretch the meat to feed lots of people) and then season up with stuff like garlic salt & cayenne pepper, maybe some cumin if you're adding the beans. Get that all heated together

Then - for the shells, get some small corn tortillas and soft fry them in oil. This really makes the tacos 

We opt for typical toppings like finely shredded lettuce & tomato, sour cream, shredded cheese and a great taco sauce. Out here, I buy something called "Macayo's" - its a local restaurant. Very good!!!

We haven't had this in awhile - I think its time to invite some friends over for dinner and do up a huge batch of tacos plus spanish rice!


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## chocotuile (Oct 21, 2011)

A chef I used to work with grew up in Guatemala and he made the most amazing tacos (I still crave them!). It's bit of a pain though, so it's not something to do if you just want a fast dinner.
Take black beans, soak overnight to get them soft, then bring to a boil the next day. Simmer on low until all the liquid has evaporated, keep stirring until it has become a thick paste. This process alone usually takes 1-2 hours. I've tried the canned black bean paste and it is so not the same!
Pair with chili oil, guacamole, a mixture of sour cream, mayo and cheese, ground beef, lettuce, and saffron rice. Stuff all in taco shell.


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## She Eats Cheese (Oct 21, 2011)

jess11 said:
			
		

> Ooo - we love tacos at our house!
> 
> My favorite way - get your hands on some shredded roast (I bottle beef so I can just use a pint of that for my recipes). Soften some chopped onion in oil, add the beef, maybe some canned green chiles (I'll also add black beans if I'm wanting to stretch the meat to feed lots of people) and then season up with stuff like garlic salt & cayenne pepper, maybe some cumin if you're adding the beans. Get that all heated together
> 
> ...



This sounds awesome  I'm gonna try it like that shredded roast sounds interesting!


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## betterthanabox (Oct 21, 2011)

I have been hungry for tacos too. I like to use ground chicken and turkey in my tacos. Then I like to make both hard and soft shells. What I like to do is take a soft shell, cover with cheese, place it in the microwave or oven for a few to melt the cheese and then stick it to a hard shell. Then I fill the inside with meat, cheese, salsa, taco sauce, sour cream, sliced avocado, and a little lettuce. It makes for a tasty combo.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Oct 21, 2011)

Classic home-made tacos:

Take one chuck roast (two to three pound roast)  and braise it in your slow cooker overnight.  Season with salt, 1 onion, diced, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, 3 tbs. chopped, fresh cilantro, 3 cloves minced garlic.  The next day, take two forks and shred the roast.  Open a can of ripe, sliced black olives.  Have on the table; bowls of diced, raw tomato, a cup of fresh made guacamole, favorite hot sauce, favorite salsa, diced cucumber, and shredded, sharp chedar cheese.

Heat oil in a frying pan, about an inch deep.  Take soft, corn tortillas and place in the hot oil for about fifteen seconds.  Serve hot and soft to those eating tacos.  Let them put the fillings in.  Figure 4 to 5 tacos per person.

You can use browned, ground beef, seasoned with chili powder, coriander, cumin, and salt, in place of the shredded beef if you want.

Shredded chicken and pulled pork are great as well.  But for all of them, you must use fresh corn tortillas, quickly softened in hot oil.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## texherp (Oct 21, 2011)

When I make tacos that way, I'll add a few tablespoons of chili powder at the end and simmer off the excess water, leaving some to keep the meat moist.  I like how the beef fat get dark red from the chilies.

You can also fry the pulled beef in a pan to make it a little crispy/chewy.


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## pacanis (Oct 21, 2011)

These tacos have been on my to-do list for a couple weeks. If they were popular in Oakland instead of LA I would have made them last Sunday for PPPC. I hope to make them next week sometime. I'll be picking up that style of cukes tomorrow anyway for something else.
Korean Style Tacos with Kogi BBQ Sauce | Steamy Kitchen Recipes


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 21, 2011)

betterthanabox said:


> I have been hungry for tacos too. I like to use ground chicken and turkey in my tacos. Then I like to make both hard and soft shells. What I like to do is take a soft shell, cover with cheese, place it in the microwave or oven for a few to melt the cheese and then stick it to a hard shell. Then I fill the inside with meat, cheese, salsa, taco sauce, sour cream, sliced avocado, and a little lettuce. It makes for a tasty combo.



I like to spread hot refries on the flour tortilla and then wrap the hardshell taco with that.


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## 4meandthem (Oct 21, 2011)

pacanis said:


> These tacos have been on my to-do list for a couple weeks. If they were popular in Oakland instead of LA I would have made them last Sunday for PPPC. I hope to make them next week sometime. I'll be picking up that style of cukes tomorrow anyway for something else.
> Korean Style Tacos with Kogi BBQ Sauce | Steamy Kitchen Recipes


 

These just went on MY to do list!


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## 4meandthem (Oct 21, 2011)

Fish or fish stick tacos are also great and great way to get someone to eat fish who normally wouldn't


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## GrillingFool (Oct 22, 2011)

Yeah, I was going to mention fish tacos too! Catfish is a good choice.

Chicken tacos.... 
Boneless chicken, cut up, well sprinkled with taco seasoning mix.
Brown with some onion and garlic.
1 can diced green chilis
1 can Rotel, drained
1 tsp each cumin, garlic powder, oregano (Mexican oregano is worth finding)
1 tsp or to taste chile powder
Cayenne powder to taste
(Alternatively, chop up a jalapeno and add it with the onions and garlic.)
1/2 package of cream cheese
Mix this all up in the skillet, then use for taco filling, with avocado and plenty of cheese.
(You can add whatever cheese you want to the mix)
(Put this in corn tortillas in a baking pan, pour over green or red enchilada sauce,
top with cheese and you have darn good chicken enchiladas, too.
Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and everything is bubbly on the edges.)

For good old "box" tacos, I like to add the seasoning mix as I brown the meat.
It does tend to bind the grease, so I use very lean ground beef.


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## TATTRAT (Oct 22, 2011)

Great traditional tacos are a great "Less is More" type of thing too. Stack up to corn tortillas(not the crispy fried corn shells, but corn tortillas), chopped meat of choice, I LOVE tacos de lengua, simply top with chopped onion and cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. . .maybe queso fresco.

For something a bit more "upscale", same procedure as up top for the tortillas, but make a small salad of Jumbo Lump Crab, S+P, Lime, A little cumin, a little diced jalapeno, and a little oil, just toss to mix being careful to not break up the crab too much. Add onto tortillas, add grilled corn sliced off the cob, a couple of thin slices of avocado, cilantro and lime. 

Pan fried pulled pork, a la carnitas style, also make for some bomb diggity tacos. Just crisp up the pork in a saute pan, top with onion, cilantro and lime and enjoy.

General Tso chicken with a little spicy cabbage slaw and crispy carrot julienne makes for something a little different, but super tasty.

Taco shells are simply a vessel, the fillings are endless. Its such a cheap and cheerful food, have fun with it, and don't think it has to be Latino to go into a taco shell.


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## chopper (Oct 22, 2011)

jess11 said:


> Ooo - we love tacos at our house!
> 
> My favorite way - get your hands on some shredded roast (I bottle beef so I can just use a pint of that for my recipes). Soften some chopped onion in oil, add the beef, maybe some canned green chiles (I'll also add black beans if I'm wanting to stretch the meat to feed lots of people) and then season up with stuff like garlic salt & cayenne pepper, maybe some cumin if you're adding the beans. Get that all heated together
> 
> ...


 
Let us know when to be there.  These sound really good!


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## chopper (Oct 22, 2011)

Goodweed of the North said:


> Classic home-made tacos:
> 
> Take one chuck roast (two to three pound roast) and braise it in your slow cooker overnight. Season with salt, 1 onion, diced, 1 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, 3 tbs. chopped, fresh cilantro, 3 cloves minced garlic. The next day, take two forks and shred the roast. Open a can of ripe, sliced black olives. Have on the table; bowls of diced, raw tomato, a cup of fresh made guacamole, favorite hot sauce, favorite salsa, diced cucumber, and shredded, sharp chedar cheese.
> 
> ...


 
YUM!!! I am getting really hungry here!


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## Zhizara (Oct 22, 2011)

I have a beautiful braised pork shoulder.  I'm going to shred about a pound and make tacos.


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 5, 2012)

*Grilled Ma Hi Ma Hi Tacos*

This recipe has its origins from Baja California, where grilling had been  more popular than frying during the early 2000s when I was there. I had obtained the recipe from a Mexican friend of my younger daughter who was doing a professional gemology project in Baja Clifornia and San Diego. Thus, we tied in our vacation time to meet up on the west coast.  

Recipe:

1 medium red onion
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
7 tblsps fresh lime juice 
1/4 finely chopped cilantro 
1 1/2 pounds of Ma hi Ma hi or other thick fresh white flesh fish available for example: codfish or grouper or red snapper 

2/3 cup mayonnaise or ali oli 
12 corn tortillas
8 radishes
2 ripe Hass avocados 
12 metal skewers 

1) very thinly slice the red onion in rings or arcs with a slicer
2) SECRET TO EYES NOT TEARING: run the red onion under cold water for 5 minutes 
3) heat the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small heavy saucepan until the sugar has dissolved
4) remove from heat and stir in onion and let stand 1/2 hour
5) meanwhile, stir the lime juice together with the cilantro herb and 1 tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil ( has a low heat point ) and marinate the fish
6) preheat the gas grill for 10 mins. 
7) put the chunks of fish ( your fish monger can chunk the fish for you )
on the metal skewers and wrap in heavy duty aluminum to prevent charring over doneness
8) Oil the grill rack and turning only once, grill the fish on rack for a total of 6 minutes, 4 minutes on 1 side firstly and then 2 to 3 mins at most on 2nd side.
9) Halve and pit the avocados and cut into thick slices. Slice the radishes.
10) put the corn tortillas to heat, and serve fish, with the salad garnish of avocado, radish, red onion and sour cream as a garnish or on side ... 

Enjoy. 
MargiCintrano.


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## babetoo (Feb 5, 2012)

i love all things taco. going to make for dinner. i will try to slim them down as much as i can to suit the calorie count. i buy extra thin corn tortillas. i am going to heat with canola spray. then burger with seasoning. generous lettuce, tomato, onions. a little sour cream, a bit more salsa. only a quarter of a cup of a mexican blend taco cheese. anxious to see if it fills the taco yearning.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 5, 2012)

For those of you who want to keep calories down, if you're willing to forego crisp taco shells and surrender to soft taco shells then do what I do. This works well for flour tortillas although I think it works okay for corn tortillas too:

Just turn on your gas stove burner to high heat and throw the tortilla naked on the burner. Use tongs or pincers to turn it over a few times until it's well browned.

I do this almost every day for my breakfast egg taco/burrito.

As far as tacos, I like primitive tacos. I get a roasted chicken at the market, and lettuce, tomato, cilantro, onions, avocado (chop them all up) and serve over gas stove heated tortillas, and pour taco sauce over. Cheese lovers can add cheese.

Tacos are Mexican sandwiches. As far as I know there isn't any taco police. Like all sandwiches you can add anything you like.


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## simonbaker (Feb 5, 2012)

Our daughter (13 ), and alot of her friends, love spaghetti taco's.  Spaghetti noodles mixed with marinara sauce, no meat, put into hardshell taco's. Strange , i know, but they all just love it here.


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## Merlot (Feb 5, 2012)

simonbaker said:


> Our daughter (13 ), and alot of her friends, love spaghetti taco's. Spaghetti noodles mixed with marinara sauce, no meat, put into hardshell taco's. Strange , i know, but they all just love it here.


 

That stems from watching ICarley on Nick


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## TATTRAT (Feb 6, 2012)

wow, this thread got cleaned out. . .  


Anywho, been fooling around  with a Bhan Mi type taco:

Roast Pork Belly, cracklings and all
Julienne of carrot
Daikon radish
Sliced jalapeno
Fresh Cilantro
A little fish sauce(optional)
A "sauce" of Sweet Thai Chili sauce w/ Mirin, and green onion. . .it's more of a drizzle, as the "sauce" has no body to it. 

You can either use Soft Flour Tortilla, Soft fresh Corn Tortilla, or the large Mu Shu pancakes.


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## no mayonnaise (Feb 6, 2012)

Always made my taco meat as such, all measurements are approximate since I never measure it.

1 lb. ground beef, 90/10 is best since you won't have neon orange grease running down your hands as you eat them and it won't soggify your taco shell
1/2 onion, fine mince (I don't like chunks of onion in my tacos)
2-3 cloves garlic, fine mince
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 T chili powder
1 t ground cumin, freshly toasted/ground if possible
1/4 t dry Mexican oregano
1/2 cup dihydrogen monoxide, beef stock works well if you have home made with no salt otherwise it can get too salty when you reduce it
Vegetable oil
salt and pepper

In a large skillet over medium high, add some oil and quickly sweat the onion and tomato, once onion is translucent add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Add the beef and cook with the sofrito.  Grind in some pepper while the meat is still raw.  Once meat is mostly cooked add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and season with salt.  Finish cooking the beef and add the dihydrogen monoxide to the pan and drop the heat to let it simmer.  Simmer until the dihydrogen monoxide is almost all evaporated, stirring occasionally, and the meat has the consistency of, well, taco meat.  The pan should be mostly dry and the meat should hold itself together with no liquid dripping from it.

Obviously nothing fancy, but that's how I was taught to make Tex-Mex type taco meat and it's pretty close to what you would get at any Tex-Mex restaurant around here but it tastes a lot better because they usually use powdered garlic and powdered onion, and canned chopped tomatoes.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 6, 2012)

no mayonnaise said:


> Always made my taco meat as such, all measurements are approximate since I never measure it.
> 
> 1 lb. ground beef, 90/10 is best since you won't have neon orange grease running down your hands as you eat them and it won't soggify your taco shell
> 1/2 onion, fine mince (I don't like chunks of onion in my tacos)
> ...


I hear that DHMO stuff can be pretty dangerous... Sufficient quantities can cause asphyxiation.


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## roadfix (Feb 6, 2012)

When it comes to tacos I like the simple, traditional, Mexican style tacos I make at home or from many of the street vendors and taco trucks in this region.  Street tacos are the best.
I'm not too crazy about American tacos.


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## Addie (Feb 7, 2012)

simonbaker said:


> Our daughter (13 ), and alot of her friends, love spaghetti taco's. Spaghetti noodles mixed with marinara sauce, no meat, put into hardshell taco's. Strange , i know, but they all just love it here.


 
Fusion tacos!


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## Barbara L (Feb 7, 2012)

For homemade tacos I don't like to use taco seasoning in my meat. I like mine fairly simple. First I brown some ground beef with some garlic, salt, and pepper. Sometimes I cook chopped onion with the meat, sometimes I add raw chopped onions to the tacos, and sometimes I do a little of both. From the bottom up my taco is basically a crisp corn shell, meat, shredded cheese, onion (if not just in the meat), shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole or chopped avocado (if we have it), and salsa. 

As much as I love tacos, I love tostadas even better. My tostada is, from the bottom up, a flat crisp corn tortilla, heated refried beans, meat (as done for tacos), shredded cheese, onion, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole or chopped avocado, and salsa. 

My loaded nachos are about the same as the tostada, but with tortilla chips, and the other ingredients kind of plopped all around.


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