Spicy Tex-Mex Tacos

Once again, it was taco night at our house! And now that it’s officially summer, tacos seem like the perfect quick and easy meal. Lots of flavor with very little work, and homemade tacos made with fresh ingredients are surprisingly light (unlike heavier, greasy fast food or taco truck tacos).

I went for a spicy Tex-Mex taco that uses a very simple taco seasoning. The meat gets a lot of its flavor here from the green chili peppers that are cooked with it. To cool it down, I served it up with some mild shredded cheese and plenty of yummy guacamole, everything blended together beautifully.

Sorry for the lack of good photos in this post – it’s been hot, hot, HOT here in the city so I wanted to spend as little time as possible in my stuffy kitchen!

Spicy Tex-Mex Tacos:

• 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1-1/2 pounds ground beef
• 6 oz can green chilis
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper, to taste
• taco fixings – soft corn tortillas, salsa verde, pico de gallo, guacamole, grated cheese, etc.

Heat some oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion until it starts to brown. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside, keeping them warm.

If needed, add some more oil to the pan along with the bell pepper. When the pepper begins to soften, add in the ground beef. Cook the beef until it is browned and crumbly. Combine the seasonings together in a small bowl so that they are evenly mixed and then add them to the skillet. Stir everything together until the meat is evenly coated.

Add in the chilis and 2-3 tablespoons of water. Turn the heat to low and simmer for another 2-3 minutes so that the flavors have some time to come together.

While the meat is cooking, heat up your tortillas in a 400 degree oven for 7 or so minutes. When everything is ready, serve up the taco meat with your sautéed onions and the taco fixings of your choice and a side of black beans.