I’m celebrating Cinco de Mayo with some Loaded Turkey Tacos full of pickled onions, tomatoes, avocado, grated Mexican cheese blend (thank you Trader Joe’s I’ lazy) and tons of cilantro! Don’t forget a dollop of sour cream…It doesn’t have to be a holiday for me to dig into some taco fixings! I dug into my old Bytes blog from when I lived in Brooklyn NY (8 years ago!) and found this recipe. It still holds up. So many amazing flavors in my homemade taco seasoning. The meat is the best part, and you don’t need salsa if you get the meat right, IMNSHO.
These were hard to photograph because I wanted to dig in to them with a crazed amount of hunger! Squeeze a lil’ lime on them and go to town!
This is the easiest thing to do, and you might be really sad if you skip this part. I like to use Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar. They only need to sit on the counter for an hour before they are ready to eat!
Oh man! The pickled onions are doing their thing, while the rest of the ingredients wait patiently…
Heat onion over medium heat in a non-stick fry pan until it looks somewhat clear in color, and then add the turkey meat along with all of the taco seasonings.
Once you have all of your toppings cut up and ready to assemble, heat the corn tortillas on each side for about 30 seconds in a dry, cast iron pan. The idea is to slightly brown them. You can also wrap a stack of 5 or 6 corn tortillas in damp paper towels and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Song for the Prep: Spanish Flea by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
This is one of my favorite bands in the whole world!! Is this the Dating Game song? BUT, this song was actually written by Julius Wechter of the Baja Marimba band. I have a slew of those albums too!
Loaded Turkey Tacos
- May 5, 2021
- 4
- 1 hr 15 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- TACO SEASONING - 2 T chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp sea salt
- PICKLED ONIONS - 1 red onion, julienned
- 1 C apple cider vinegar
- 1.5 T sugar
- 2 tsp sea salt
- TACO MEAT - 1 lb ground turkey meat
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 T extra virgin olive oil
- 3 T tomato paste
- 1 T water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- TACO TOPPINGS - 1 avocado, halved and sliced thin
- 2-3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 C Trader Joe's Fancy Mexican Cheese Blend (grated Sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero, and Queso Blanco Cheese)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- sour cream
Directions
- Step 1
- PICKLED ONIONS – whisk everything but the onions (or put them in a jar and shake the hell out of them), add onions and let sit on the counter for an hour.
- Step 2
- TACO MEAT – Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add chopped onions and cook over medium heat until onions turn somewhat clear. Add turkey meat, salt and pepper, and separate the meat while it cooks with a spatula. About halfway through add the taco seasoning, tomato paste, and water. Turn heat down to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Step 3
- CORN TORTILLAS – Heat in cast iron skillet over medium heat for 30 seconds on each side.
- Step 4
- TACOS – Assemble tacos with 1 or 2 corn tortillas as a base with meat and toppings. Garnish with lime wedges.
