Recipe #1 - Not Your Average Taco Night

So this is my first official food blog! YAY! The other night I was in the mood for a good ol' classic: TACOS! Southwest style food is always comforting to me, probably because of my huge love of anything with loads of cheese on it. I remember eating tacos regularly growing up. They were delicious but pretty generic...ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, salsa...you know the drill. So I decided to put a healthy and very tasty spin on this tasty treat.

Ingredients:
-1 box of crunchy taco shells
-1 small sweet onion
-1 can of black beans (drained)
-1 to 2 tbsp. of balsamic vinegar
-1 lb. of ground turkey
-1 taco seasoning pack
-1/2 of a small jar of taco sauce
-1/2 of small can of diced green chilies
-1 has avocado
-shredded iceberg lettuce (I get the pre-shredded bag...way easier!)
-1 bag of shredded cheese (I use the mexican cheese blend, but cheddar would work)

Black Beans: I added the black beans to a small pot with half of the finely diced onion and the balsamic vinegar. I know the balsamic vinegar sounds weird, but I learned this trick from a friend and it is AWESOME in black beans. Just gives that little zing! Once the beans had been simmering for about 10 minutes, I mashed them with a hand mixer (you could also use a hand potato masher). They should be about the consistency of refried beans. Set aside.

Turkey Filling: After sauteeing the remaining half of the finely diced onion and green chilies for a few minutes, I added the ground turkey. Break up the turkey into small bits so they fit well in the taco shells later. When the turkey was almost completely cooked, I added the taco seasoning and taco sauce. Set aside.

Avocado: I removed the avocado from it's skin and mashed it in a bowl until it was completely smooth (lots of fun after a long day of work). I added a pinch of kosher salt, too. Set aside.

Assembly: Put a thin layer of the beans in the bottom of the ever-so-slightly toasted taco shell followed a thin layer of cheese, turkey mixture, another thin layer of cheese and then topped it off with the lettuce and avocado. I suggest layering the cheese with the hot beans and turkey so that it melts and has that gooey-ness we all LOVE. The crunch of the lettuce and the taco shell really complimented the creamy texture of the beans and the avocado, too!

I think tacos are GREAT for everyone, even the pickiest of eaters because there are so many variations. I have always been skeptical about subsituting beef for ground chicken or turkey, but in this recipe, you won't miss it. These turkey tacos are packed with lean proteins and good fats so you won't feel that guilty about eating them either!

Hope you enjoyed my first foodie post! Many more to come!