Beef Taco

Once you've done it a few times, you can knock this meal together surprisingly fast. I caramelized half an onion then added 2 cloves of garlic diced finely.  Next a diced green pepper was sweated. Then the ground beef went in the pan with salt.  When it was browned I sprinkled one teaspoon of beef stock powder over it and another of flour.  One to two tablespoons of Taco Seasoning sprinkled over. Stir and cook that in for a minute then add half a cup of water. Let the meat simmer and the water reduce till it's thick and meaty. Just before serving sprinkle grated cheddar over top so it melts in.

Open a can of Old El Paso refried beans. All the other brands I've tried don't taste good right out of the can. That is like crippling your meal before you start cooking. I put it on low heat and slowly warm it with a bit of fresh lime juice.  When it's hot and ready to serve stir in a tablespoon of sour cream and several drops of Tabasco Sauce or your favourite hot sauce will probably do.

Guacamole is simple, mash an avocado, add lime juice, salt, pepper and sour cream. This time I tried using a pastry cutter to mash the avocado, didn't work at all. A fork is still the best thing I've found. 

Salsa usually has more but all I had this time was fresh local tomatoes, a jalapeno and some green onion. I diced that up, added some salt, black pepper and lime juice. It was good thanks to the tasty fresh tomatoes!  You can't see it but there's a strip of shredded lettuce under the salsa and taco.

Heat taco shell slightly in toaster oven then fill with meat, roll up. Top with sour cream and guacamole. Garnish with lettuce and salsa. Add refried beans. Slop extra guacamole on the side and dive in.

We cleaned our plates and the dog finished the meat and beans, which was surprising.