Cilantro and Lime Taco Meat

I actually made flour tortillas to go with this dish but I was too busy eating to take pictures...ehehehe. Ahem...at the end the taco meat turned into more of a nacho filling type deal. Still yummy....not as pretty....but yummy in my tummy. Cheddar cheese and salsa make great toppings on this filling. You also can't go wrong with a little dollop of sour cream.

Generally I use lean beef for this recipe but ground turkey or chicken would also work fine as long as you check the fat content of the meat to make sure it is actually lean. Do not just grab and go at the meat counter as you could end up with a pack of ground chicken that has like 14 fat grams per serving.


Cilantro and Lime Taco Meat

1 lb lean ground beef
1 anaheim pepper, diced
1 banana pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 tbls garlic, diced
1 14oz can no salt added petite diced tomatoes
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cajun seasoning (or your preferred seasoned salt)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup dry small red beans - cooked and mashed*

Cook meat, peppers, onion, and garlic in a skillet over medium high heat. When meat is cooked and veggies are tender drain off grease. Add all remaining ingredients and simmer everything together for 15 mins. Filling is ready to be served with chips or tortillas.

*I soak my dry beans overnight then cook them on the stove for about an hour until they are tender. A covered saucepan with water a couple inches over the beans works best...bring to boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer for the hour or so cook time. Mash when they are done cooking. A can of beans can be used instead of dry, but the salt content is going to be much higher.