Tacos with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa with Lime and Cilantro

Tacos are always a great hit in our family (we are not so different from most families, it seems). Before Ideal Protein, I would often use soy meat in place of ground beef so that we could enjoy cheese with the tacos. Now I use extra lean ground beef and an easy spice mix, and no cheese while on Phase 1. Note that commercial taco seasonings almost all have sugar and/or corn meal, so they are not allowed. This mix is just as tasty and very easy to put together. It's also super forgiving, so if you don't have an ingredient don't sweat it at all. The chili powder, salt and garlic are the base, so try to include those. You could even make a big batch and save it in the spice cabinet for the following week.

Transitioning our family fave to a low-carb version was so easy and super delicious that no one misses the taco shells. I make the meat and then serve a smorgasbord of toppings for everyone to make their own. My son and I like to make big salads, and hubby likes to use the romaine lettuce leaves as shells for taco wraps. Everyone's a winner! Toppings at our house include: romaine lettuce, radishes, red or green onion, cilantro, jalapenos, cucumber, bell peppers (raw or roasted), hot sauce, and so forth. The kids often also have tomatoes, salsa and avocados (mmmm---I do miss avocados!).

We really try to steer clear of restricted veggies, including tomatoes, so I came up with the roasted red pepper salsa. It was so good that the toddler took a bowl of it as soup for lunch the next day. I can't wait to make it again!! I didn't even chop anything, just threw it all into the Vitamix and voila.

Tacos with Homemade Seasoning

Ingredients
2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 chopped green onions, white parts (save the greens for your toppings bar)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp adobo seasoning without MSG (if you cannot find this, just use 1/2 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder, and then add 1/2 tsp to the salt below)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt (I use sea salt or kosher salt)
Ground cayenne pepper to taste

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add in the beef and begin to brown. When it's about halfway cooked, add in the spice mixture and continue cooking until completely browned. If it is too dry, add a few tsp of water to help create the sauce (this will depend on the fat content of the meat). Note: if the fat content is high, you can fully cook the meat, drain the fat, and then add the spices.

Serve the meat with all of your delicious toppings for wonderful taco salads or lettuce wraps!

Taco Salad

Roasted Red Pepper Salsa with Lime and Cilantro
1 16-oz jar roasted red peppers (with no oil or sugar used), drained
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 of a small red onion or one shallot
Handful of cilantro
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper
Jalapenos or other hot peppers to taste (I left these out so the kids could eat it)

Throw everything into a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth but still chunky. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Salsa with Lime and Cilantro