The Eating Well Taco-EW-6/07

[Terrytx]

This also includes Lean & Spicy Taco Meat, Eating Well Crispy Taco Shells, and Easy Fiesta Beans. I wasn't really sure how the shells would turn out, but they worked well. I sometimes have trouble getting the tortillas crispy when doing them in the oven, but mine came out fine. The taco meat was good-not great, but very tasty. I included the bean recipe in this because the majority of the folks put the beans on their taco. I actually meant for them to be a side dish, but what the heck. They were very good also. My only objection to these recipes is that it was a lot more time consuming than my regular tacos using prepared shells and "Taco Bell" seasoning mix.

[SDMomChef]

I had these marked to try, but I've put it off because it seemed like so much work for tacos! Thanks for the review - it is good to know what to expect when trying a recipe.

[HealthyinMN]

It may be a little more work, but we thought it was definitely worth the extra effort when we made it last Monday. The shells were very crisp (almost shattering when you take a bite) and the meat filling was tasty. The extra step with seasoning the shells before they went into the oven was a nice touch!

[Connor's mom]

Ditto for us, too - the Lean & Spicy Taco Meat was well worth the effort, and I'm guessing it would freeze well. I did not the baked taco "shells", and we just used soft shell tortillas. I also made the Easy Fiesta Beans and the Calabacitas, which was fantastic (added some diced red pepper too). I think DS and DH like that surprisingly as much as the taco meat! Great menu.

[kcmo727]

So glad to see you enjoyed these, Terry! Thank you for your review. I thought the recipes did seem like alot of work when I read the article but how nice to know they are worth the effort, especially the shells. I am looking forward to having an EW Taco Night very soon.

[JackieO]

Ditto for us, too - the Lean & Spicy Taco Meat was well worth the effort, and I'm guessing it would freeze well.

It does freeze well -- I doubled the batch and divided it in thirds for us a few weeks ago, putting two portions in the freezer. Good thing I did, because DSD and her fiance came for a visit the weekend after. I forgot she's allergic to shrimp, and had shrimp marinating in that margarita stuff for tacos that night! I defrosted the EW filling and we had a taco buffet.

[Grace]

I made these this past week and would like to add my two thumbs up as well. Very good. I enjoyed the taco shells. I used Trader Joe's whole wheat tortillas and they were great all crisped up. The meat was nothing super spectacular, but I did love that it was not greasy at all. Most tacos leave a greasy mess on your plate but not these. I will make these again for sure. And I also made the calabacitas. We loved that recipe. Both are keepers.

[kcmo727]

I am planning on finally making this dinner soon but I have a question: do you really need one of those taco holders/stands to make the tacos? I really don't want to buy another kitchen gadget.

Grace, thanks for your review. Glad it was a hit!

[bobmark226]

I am planning on finally making this dinner soon but I have a question: do you really need one of those taco holders/stands to make the tacos? I really don't want to buy another kitchen gadget.

http://eatingwell.com/recipes/eating...aco_shell.html

[Grace]

Thanks Bob for posting that link. I did the drape over the oven rack thing since I don't have a taco form thing. Worked just fine!

[kcmo727]

Thanks, Bob! That is so helpful.

[Valerie226]

Thanks for the review. I skipped the taco recipe because it seemed like a lot of work and because the meat mixture contained beef which I don't eat. I will try this with plain lean ground turkey and see how it goes. I'll try the calabacitas and beans too. I had looked at this but somehow didn't get back to it but I will, tonight. thanks.

[Valerie226]

Didn't make the calabacitas yet.never got to the store yesterday but will try them tonight with leftovers. all turkey was fine, mine was 93% lean, I can never find the 99% kind but the draining took care of any fat there.

The tortillas were another tissue however. I don't usually use corn tortillas but tried. I warmed them as suggested, sprayed lightly with cooking spray. they were starting to tear as I draped them over the rack but I thought they'd crisp up and stay in place. Wrong!. Most split and slid off the oven rack onto the bottom burner coil. smoke and smoke alarms going off like crazy in 2 minutes. the light spray of oil dripped onto the oven floor too. so I'm cleaning the oven as we speak and not sure if I'll try this venture again. we salvaged two tortillas that didn't burn but ??? did I have faulty tortillas? these were Mission corn tortillas. Grace, I may try whole wheat tortillas since they certainly could not be as troublesome as the corn ones were. But we did enjoy the meal anyway. beans were tasty & the turkey was just fine. not dry but not greasy either. I haven't had tacos in ages but I may just buy shells unless I get a better system than this. I also may try the same approach but put them flat on a baking sheet & rack & call them tostados.

[Grace]

I'm not sure why your tortillas fell apart like that - except maybe you overheated them in the microwave? I don't know. All I know is that I hate corn tortillas (they make me gag!), so I used flour, and preferably WW if I can find them.

As to using the 93% turkey, it's a good thing you did. If you're going to do all turkey I would highly recommend you keep using the 93%. The 99% turkey is dry, dry, dry and hard to cook (totally sticks to the pan) if you don't have some kind of fat (it only works in the original recipe because of the fat from the beef). So that was a good choice.

[alicerh]

Well, unlike Grace, I love corn tortillas ( I gag on flour ones . But I don't like Mission. They are too thick. I look for the off brands in the Mexican section that are the thinest ones available. They are great for quesidillas and toastadas but I have not tried the oven shells. I keep forgetting to try.

[Valerie226]

I like all kinds of tortillas but usually don't use corn cause I like them crispy & that's usually meant frying which I don't do. I have tortillas left so maybe I'll follow my own advice and try the same method but flat on a rack with a cookie sheet underneath. I will take a look for thinner tortillas than the mission ones. Seeing the tiny bit of oil slide off on to the oven floor makes the "draping on oven racks" pretty messy. I don't want to need to clean the oven every time. I have some ww flour ones too so maybe I'll try those and see how that works. Thanks.

[kcmo727]

Finally got around to making this meal tonight, and while it was very good and enjoyed by all, I would save this in the future for a weekend dinner when I have more time. Getting everything cooked and assembled took more time than I expected, although none of the work was difficult.

I made the shells using the oven rack tip (thanks again, Bob) but 7 minutes was too long as some of them came out so crispy that they were brittle and couldn't be filled. I think 5 minutes would be about perfect.

I cheated and used all beef in the taco meat. It was pretty good and can be easily made the day ahead. Like many of you, the calabacitas was my favorite part. YUM! I also enjoy just saying the word "calabacitas",

I made the refried beans, hoping that I would like them better than the refried beans I have made in the past. But no luck -- they just remind me too much of Alpo dog food. Other than the beans, everything else was very good and will be repeated again.

[Valerie226]

I forgot to report I tried them flat but they didn't work well that way. I will just buy crispy ones or try ww flour ones next time. the few times I eat corn tortillas I will just buy them. none of the tortillas are thinner than mission, in fact they look thicker. and I'm not going thru the smoke alarm thing again. that was just a mess. I did like the beans though, but I love refried beans in any shape. I used the leftovers in buritos or chimichangas & they were great.