Easy Beef or Buffalo Mexican Taco Meat (No commercial flavor packet used!)

Favorite taco meat

Here is our family's favorite taco meat. it is incredibly easy to make and it tastes so much better than taco meat made with those commercial flavor packets you can buy at the store. I actually hate the taste of those flavor packets, but my mom always made hers from scratch...Yes, I know I'm spoiled.

You can make this taco meat with either organic ground beef, ground buffalo, or beefalo. Even ground turkey works.

At times, I have also added up to 30% of a soy protein meat substitute into the mix, to extend the meat. I pre-hydrate the meat substitute first before adding it to the rest of the meat. Then I add the onion, garlic, and seasonings and saute it all together. I do prefer the 100% meat version, but my family hasn't seemed to notice the difference.

I like to make a big batch of taco meat and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator for quick meals later in the week. This meat also freezes well.




Best Taco Meat Recipe:

2 pounds organic free-range ground beef or buffalo
2 onions, minced
8 cloves garlic, smashed with the salt
1 t. sea salt or BioSalt
1 t. onion salt
2 t. Ancho chili pepper powder
2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. paprika
1 t. organic beef base
40 grinds black pepper
1/4 t. psyllium husk powder
1/4 c. purified water


Method:

Brown the meat with the onions and garlic over medium-high heat in a large skillet, until the onions are translucent and the meat is cooked through. Break the meat up as it cooks.

Add all of the seasonings, psyllium, and water and simmer until thickened.

Taste for seasoning and serve while hot.

Serve as a topping for a taco salad, inside organic corn tortillas, or gluten-free flour tortillas.

Saute the meat with the rest of the ingredients.

The finished taco meat- beef in this case.

This large grater is fun for shredding the cheddar cheese.

Heat deodorized coconut oil until a piece of corn tortilla sizzles and quickly browns.

A piece of corn tortilla sizzling away...

Fry your desired amount of corn tortillas.

Fry the tortillas until they start to brown. For stiff shells, bend in the center and fry a little longer.

Place tortillas between layers of paper towel.

Putting the taco fixings on the table.

Start putting on your taco fixings: first the meat, then cheese, then lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, etc.

A beautiful plate of tacos!

YUM!

Enjoy,

Leila.

I've changed my mind...about changing my mind. (Expanded recipe collection at Kitchen Cheetahs now modified)

This is an update on this post I made a while back...

I am removing some very tasty (although "naughty") recipes from Kitchen Cheetahs. The white flour/white sugar recipes have found a new home. 

Please visit my new blog: beauteandthefeast.blogspot.com for recipes for my:

 Magleby's Incredible Chocolate Cake
Perfect Hot Fudge Pudding Cake
Copy Cat Tiger's Milk Bars
Positively Evil Cinnamon Rolls
The Best Amazingly Chocolaty Texas Sheet Cake
German Puff Pancake
Superior Chicago-Style Cheesecake
Super Moist & Easy Poppy Seed Bundt Cake
Garlic Parmesan Bread Twists (Pizza Factory Copy Cat Recipe)
Moist Mississippi Mud Cake
Best Moist Banana Bread
Elegant Orange Blossom Crepes

AND MUCH MORE...

I will also be posting articles about beauty, aromatherapy, mind stuff, and more. I have been contemplating this move for quite a while. Both blogs will be active and I hope you enjoy them.

This is the previous post below:

*****

Kitchen Cheetahs will focus solely on Healthy Clean Eating.

I know I originally said that I would not post any recipes containing white flour or white granulated cane or beet sugar on Kitchen Cheetahs.

Enjoy the sweetness of life.

I changed my mind. I may change it back. I'm not sure yet...

Me, contemplating...

I thought about having a "NICE" blog (Kitchen Cheetahs) and a separate "NAUGHTY" blog for the OTHER recipes. You know the ones...sinfully delicious, hopelessly tempting, sugar-laden... foods on most people's NO-FLY-ZONE list.

Well, You get to make your own food decisions. I'm not here to tell you what to do.

After much contemplating, I decided I want all our treasured recipes on one blog. I trust you can sort through this growing recipe collection and find what fits you best at this time. And times change. Our dietary choices evolve as we do.

This food lifestyle blog has something for everyone at any stage of life.

I have noticed in my almost 2 months of blogging on Kitchen Cheetahs, that people are looking more at the traditional and familiar recipes than they are at the 'healthiest' raw food ones. My recent posts for my BEST Easy Spaghetti Sauce recipe and my Copy-Cat Costco Rotisserie Chicken Salad recipe are good examples of this.

Our favorite protein-packed bean sprout mix.

It also appears that 'healthified' versions of favorite familiar recipes are great as long as they don't cross over the line of being too weird tasting (as in, don't call carob chocolate).

I get it. Our comfort foods are the foods we were raised on, not that we don't ever get adventurous with our palate, we do. It's just that we generally get cravings for those foods from our childhood, something to think about as we are feeding our own young and growing children.

My daughter who has learned to eat healthy from a very young age.

I believe there is a time and a place for everything.

I also believe in moderation in all things.

I feel that if I take great care of my body on a daily basis, there is room in my life for an occasional piece of Texas Sheet Cake, chocolate mousse, buttery garlic Parmesan bread twists, or chocolate chip cookies, real ones.

I am fortunate in that I do not have any allergies to foods or otherwise. I am blessed with good health and I am very grateful for it. I choose to educate myself and live a healthful life. It has been my personal decision to occasionally partake of those foods some people label as evil or fattening. I decided not to feel bad about that.

 I do not think it is healthy to lay guilt trips on yourself. 

Make your choice and then ENJOY your choice.

There is to be joy in life.

If you decide the choice you made doesn't work, make another choice.

  Choose wisely.

Kitchen Cheetahs will still focus on delicious healthy foods and provide you with better alternatives. We continue to experiment in our test kitchens and look forward to sharing our discoveries with you. It is easy to find the types of foods you are looking for here.

Kitchen Cheetahs has several food categories to choose from, like:

Gluten-Free
Sugar-Free
Dairy-Free
Nut-Free
Low-Carb
High-Fiber
Raw-Foods
Vegan
Paleo
and more...

Kitchen Cheetah's goal is to provide the BEST recipes. PERIOD


Your comments and feedback on this topic will be appreciated. Tell us what you want to see more of.

Thank you,

 Leila.


Meet Moki, our health conscious mini dachshund...

Moki is hoping for one of his favorite treats: RAW CARROTS! (He loves the bean sprout mix too.)

Zzzzzzz

"What's that you say?"

"Your'e putting White Flour and White Sugar recipes on THIS blog?!"

"Yes Moki, I am. People can listen to their own inner body wisdom. We have no need to worry."



Author, Leila (and Moki).

Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup - Easy and Delicious!

Leila's Easy Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup

I created this soup after I made a bunch of chicken stock from a couple of Costco rotisserie chickens. I wanted a Mexican-style soup that was loaded with healthy vegetables, had a hit of smoky flavor and was not creamy.

This soup turned out super! our family loves it and we have really enjoyed the leftovers. It is warming for these cool fall evenings we are having.

I really like the zucchini in this soup. I used a huge tough zucchini from our garden for this soup. I peeled it and then removed all the seeds. I then chopped it into small cubes. The older zucchini stay nicely firm in simmered soups. If you have tender zucchini, add it towards the end of cooking time, so that you don't turn it into mush.


Leila's Smoky Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe:

1/2 pound bacon
1 extra-large onion, minced
6 large cloves garlic, smashed
2 stalks celery with tops, minced
3 large mild chiles, fire roasted and then cored, seeded and minced
4 tomatillos, minced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles
1 7-ounce can La Victoria Fire Roasted diced green chiles (this brand has the best roasted flavor)
3 quarts chicken stock (home made is best)
1 bay leaf
1 t. ground cumin
2 14.8-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained
1 29-ounce can Mexican-style hominy, drained
2 zucchini, cubed
1 T. sea salt, to taste
35 grinds fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 to 4 cups shredded cooked chicken meat
Smokey paprika, optional, to taste


Method:

Over a gas flame, char the whole chiles, then remove stem and seeds and mince. Set aside.

In a large soup pot, fry the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon and crumble, then set aside.

With the bacon fat left in the pot, saute on medium-high heat, the onion, garlic, celery, chilies, and tomatillos, until the onion becomes transparent.

Add the canned tomatoes and canned green chiles. then add the chicken stock.

Add the bay leaf, cumin, canned beans, hominy, and diced zucchini. Bring up to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and let it simmer about 30 minutes.

Season the soup with the salt and pepper, to taste. Add the crumbled bacon and shredded cooked chicken meat. let simmer a few more minutes before serving. Check the seasoning.

Garnish the soup with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, corn chips, as desired.


Notes:

Use gluten-free corn chips if desired.

If avoiding corn, omit the hominy and corn chips.

If dairy-free, omit the cheese and sour cream garnishes.

For a vegan option, omit bacon and saute the vegetables in deodorized coconut oil. Add smokey paprika to give a nice smoky flavor. Use vegetable broth in place of the chicken stock. add an extra can of beans in place of the shredded chicken.

In place of the canned petite diced tomatoes with chipotle chiles, use regular diced Mexican or plain diced tomatoes. Add these additional seasonings: 1/4 t. Mexican oregano, 1/4 t. dried chipotle powder, 1/4 t. additional cumin, to taste.

Enjoy,

Leila.

Speedy Thai Turkey Snacks - Low Carb, Gluten-Free

Thai Turkey Snacks

Try this quick tasty snack next time the munchies hit - You will be doing yourself a favor with this high-protein, low-carb treat.

This is a very tasty and very quick use for canned turkey or chicken. Our low-carb, sweet Fiji Hot Sauce is the perfect accompaniment to this mayonnaise based meat mixture. Topping with fresh basil leaves adds a little cheer and flavor dimension. Use Thai basil if you have it!

I like this as a quick lunch, served along side some fresh sliced fruit. I love that it's so low-carb when used to top cucumber slices. I do love the taste of sesame rice crackers though...

If you are short on ingredients, you can omit the Fiji Sauce and basil, but that kinda takes all the fun out of it. Don't get me wrong, it's still good though.

Try this for a lunch at work, or take on a picnic and serve with a salad and fruit. Serve this to your kids as an afternoon snack. When you get the munchies before bed, eat this in a romaine lettuce leaf, or on top of cucumbers, and you will have avoided the tempting high-carb snacks most people reach for. It's SO easy to make, it's hard not to try this recipe :)



Thai Turkey Snacks:

1 can turkey or chicken meat
1/4 c. mayonnaise, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
seasoned salt, to taste
cucumber slices or artisan GF sesame seed rice crackers
Fiji Sauce (Thai chili sauce) See recipe on this blog
fresh basil leaves


Method:

Drain the juice from the canned turkey or chicken and place the meat in a small bowl.

Add a dollop of your favorite mayonnaise, to taste. Mix together well.

Season the meat mixture with ground black pepper and seasoned salt to taste.

Portion the meat mixture on top of the cucumber slices or crackers.

Drizzle the tops with Fiji Sauce and place a basil leaf on top.

Serve immediately.

A good cracker to serve with the meat filling.

Doesn't that FIJI SAUCE look good?

Enjoy,

Leila

Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad - Healthy & Fresh! Plus a Chef Secret Revealed...

Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad  

This is not your ordinary carrot raisin salad.

Try this fresh tasting, healthy, high fiber, easy to make salad for lunch or as a side for dinner.

I am a flower child, it's true. My mom made this for me a lot while I was growing up. I loved it. I still do, I just do not add the rice polish (an health food ingredient from the 70's).

There are versions of this salad served at buffets, which have soggy raisins, wilted carrots, sweetened coconut shreds and canned pineapple tidbits added - YUK. This is not that salad.

This salad is fresh, with crunchy seeds and chewy raisins, a little sweet, with just the right amount of tang to make things interesting.

The dressing is healthy too. It has a nice protein content from the yogurt and sunnies (sun flower seeds). Please make sure your sunnies are fresh. Rancid seeds will ruin your salad.

I am going to reveal a excellent chef's secret to you now...

Add a PINCH of ground cinnamon - just a pinch! If wisely done, you don't taste the cinnamon, but my-O-my what it does to lift the flavor! This is an "extra-super chef's secret" (to quote my mother, Nancy Glazier), to use an "under the radar" pinch of cinnamon in many sweet recipes.

Now you know.



Flower Child Carrot Raisin Salad Recipe:

1 quart (packed) peeled and grated organic carrots
1 c. plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
1/3 c. Best Foods or Hellman's Mayonnaise (or your favorite brand)
3 T. raw honey, or more to taste
1 to 2 T. raw apple cider vinegar, to taste
1/2 t. sea salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 1/4 t. rice polish, optional
1/2 c. organic raw shelled sunflower seeds
1/2 c. (packed) organic raisins


Method:

Wash, trim, and peel the carrots. Grate in a Cusinart food processor, or by hand.

In a serving bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together to taste. It should be tangy and sweet.

Mix in the rice polish powder, if using

Add the grated carrots to the dressing, and add the sunflower seeds and raisins.

Mix well to coat and serve immediately.


Notes: 

If you plan on serving the salad later, add the raisins at serving time, that way they are chewy instead of mushy.

Enjoy,

Leila

Favorite Rosemary Lemon Chicken - Italian Restaurant Copy-Cat

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

Flavor-packed Rosemary Lemon Chicken that is better than any restaurant! 

This recipe is now one of our family favorites. It is so juicy and bright tasting. It's also easy!

My daughter Naomi is a foodie too. She was inspired last month to make this dish. She felt like creating a zippy skillet chicken featuring rosemary and lemon. I offered her the ideas of adding fresh garlic, brining the meat beforehand for more rosemary flavor, and making a tasty glaze at the end. I let Naomi take the lead on this one, which was fun. I brined the meat. she cooked and seasoned it, then I made the final glaze, with her watching me so I could teach her how to do it. She seasoned it perfectly (proud mom smiling). I have told all of my children that a secret to being a great cook is just knowing what good food tastes like! It's kinda like knowing your destination before you get there, so then you will know when you have arrived.

Glazed Rosemary Lemon Chicken

We made this dish again together last night. Naomi says we have to put this on our blog, and I definitely agree. So now I'm sharing our recipe with you!

I highly recommend brining your chicken, so plan ahead a bit. Fresh rosemary is wonderful here, although dried will work OK. If you must use dried rosemary, boil your 1 cup of water and pour it over the rosemary, cover and steep like you would when making an herbal tea. This will infuse your chicken with a stronger rosemary flavor more quickly. This dish is supposed to have a big hit of rosemary. YUM.



Rosemary Lemon Chicken Recipe:

Serves: 6

BRINE:
1 c. hot water
2 T. sea salt
1 t. Lakanto sweetener (erythritol + monk fruit)
1 clove garlic, smashed into a paste with some of the sea salt
20 grinds black pepper
1 t. fresh rosemary leaves, smashed with some of the sea salt
cold water, to cover the chicken

CHICKEN:
6 skinless boneless organic chicken breasts, thawed
2 T. organic butter or ghee
2 T. deodorized coconut oil
4 cloves garlic
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/2 t. lemon pepper seasoning
1/4 t. dried basil

GLAZE:
1/2 c. water
1 t. organic chicken base
1 t. tapioca starch
1 T. butter, optional

GARNISH:
Rosemary sprigs
Thin sliced lemon


Method:

BRINE:

Dissolve the sea salt and Lakanto sweetener into the cup of hot water. Add the garlic, rosemary, and black pepper. Stir together and let steep together a few minutes while you prep the chicken meat.

Thaw the chicken meat and trim off any excess fat. Place in a large shallow bowl.

Pour the salt water mixture over the chicken. Add enough cold water to completely immerse the meat. Let the chicken marinate in the brine for 2 hours. May also marinate in a large (1-gallon) zip-lock bag.

CHICKEN:

When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove chicken from the brine and let drain. Heat the butter and coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 4 cloves of smashed garlic and place the chicken in the pan. Lower the heat to medium.

Squeeze half of the lemon juice over top and sprinkle with half of the rosemary, which has been stripped off it's stem. Sprinkle the chicken with the lemon pepper and basil.

Cook uncovered until the chicken starts to look golden brown underneath.

Flip the chicken over and sprinkle with the remaining rosemary leaves. cook until golden brown on the other side. Check meat to make sure it is cooked through (you should see no pink in the center).

Remove the meat to a serving platter and set aside. Leave the drippings in the pan.

GLAZE:

For the glaze, mix the chicken base and tapioca starch into the 1/2 cup water.

Heat the frying pan with the drippings to medium-high. Pour the starch mixture into the pan and whisk until thickened and bubbly. Add additional butter, if desired.

Squeeze the rest of the lemon juice over top the glaze and whisk in. taste for seasoning.

Pour glaze over the hot chicken and serve immediately.

Garnish with fresh sprigs of rosemary leaves and lemon slices if desired.


NOTES:

If your frying pan is too small, your meat wont brown because too much moisture accumulates. If this happens, just cook the meat on both sides until completely cooked through. Transfer 3 breasts at a time to a new fry pan of sizzling butter and quickly brown on both sides. Repeat with the last 3 breasts. Scrape the leftover butter into the pan with the rosemary drippings and continue on with making the glaze.

You may add the zest from the half lemon, if desired (use an organic lemon for this).

The brined chicken stays very moist and does not need additional salt added. It is forgiving if you accidentally over-cook it. Make sure that you have added enough fresh lemon juice at the end. The flavor should be robust with rosemary, yet bright from the citrus, and not too tart.

Photos of the process:

ENJOY!

Leila 

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat (Nut-Free, Gluten-Free)

Crazy Good Vegetarian Taco Meat

Meaty, savory, chewy & perfectly salty - that's what this taco meat is! This is a new favorite recipe of ours!

A couple of my daughters took a road trip to go visit my parents. Lucky them, they got to eat grandma's food! My mom created this terrific vegetarian meat substitute on the 25th of this month. Mom will flavor this meat various ways. This recipe is for a taco meat flavor, and it is SO GOOD.

My daughter Lexi has been a vegetarian for a few years. Lexi has recently introduced a little meat to her diet, but is still generally vegetarian. As long as she remains healthy, we support her in her choice. Grandma and Lexi created this recipe together, so it is now officially named "LexiBurger".

This meat is high protein from the tofu and egg, and high fiber due to the perfectly chewy brown rice. You do not need to tell your family that they are eating tofu, because you cant tell it's in there! Freezing extra-firm tofu is a trick our family has used for years. When you thaw it and press the excess water out, it has an awesome meaty texture when you crumble it. Just buy some extra-firm tofu and throw it in your freezer just for this purpose.

The egg helps to bind everything together perfectly, just so you know.

Are you wondering what the "Umami" is mentioned below??? It's another flavor profile that they know about in Japan. It gives amazing full-bodied, rich, complex flavors to savory foods. MSG enhances umami, for example. Umami flavors are found in slow-roasted stews, and sauces made with fond which have been reduced to concentrate the flavors, mushrooms, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, etc. It's a mysterious flavor that you can't quite put your finger on, but you really notice when it's there because the food tastes so amazing, you just want to stuff your face! Look "umami" up online for a more detailed description.

Put this delicious taco "meat" in tacos, burritos, with or without re-fried beans and cheese, on top of nachos, or on top of a taco salad. Lexi brought some of this meat to my house and we made nachos for a tasty filling treat. YUM. I have pictures of our nachos in this post.

 Look at this meat, it tastes even better than it looks!

Crazy good vegetarian taco meat nachos.

Vegetarian Lexi Burger:

1 package organic extra-firm tofu
1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. chewy cooked organic short grain brown rice
1/4 to 1/3 c. soaked chopped dried onion
2 T. rice oil
1 T soy sauce (Tamari for gluten-free)
1 to 2 T. hot taco sauce, to taste
2 t. sunbutter (sunflower seed butter), up to 3 t., for richness
1 small beaten organic egg
2 t. organic paprika (or ground chili)
2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. mushroom powder (to add full-bodied complex "Umami" flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 t. cumin powder
Chipotle powder, to taste
1/2 c. or more deodorized coconut oil, for browning the mixture.
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Seasonall seasoned salt, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste
1/2 c. more cooked rice, if needed


Method:

Do ahead of time:

1.  Slice and freeze the box of tofu for at least 24 hours. THAW. Press firm to remove excess water and crumble finely.

2.  Cook the short grain brown rice only until it's nice and chewy, then chill at least overnight for best results (over-cooking makes the rice mushy).


The day of making the Vegetarian Taco Meat:

Mix the crumbled tofu with the 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 c. cooked brown rice and soaked dried onion flakes in a medium mixing bowl.

Add the rice oil, soy sauce, hot sauce, and sunbutter, and toss well to combine.

Add the beaten egg and toss well to coat completely.

Toss with the paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, mushroom powder, cumin, and chipotle.

Heat 1/2 c. coconut oil in a large skillet, when starting to sizzle, dump in the tofu mixture and stir-fry it like you would fried rice. You want to brown it a little, but do not over-brown or it can get a little dry. Add more oil if needed.

Season to taste with pepper, Seasonall, garlic salt, etc.

If the vegetarian meat mixture turns out too rich and oily, just work in another 1/2 cup or so of cooked rice.

For the nachos, we melted cheddar and jack cheese over gluten-free tortilla chips. Topped the nachos with the warm "meat mixture, drizzled on salsa and topped with a dollop of sour cream. I was too lazy to go get a can of olives, but we would of loved some along with fresh guacamole!

Enjoy, 

Leila & Nancy.