Taco cups

 

I love coming up with new ideas with food. I always, well not always, but most of the time, if there’s leftovers, I rack my brain thinking of something new and exciting to do with them, usually looking on Pinterest for inspiration in the hope that no one has done anything like what I’m thinking of creating.

Before I introduce you to my taco cups, I wish to say sorry for not being around for a couple of weeks. School has been really full on, cooking lots of amazing dishes and learning lots of cool tricks of the trade. I’ve missed you all so much and look forward to being back, full time, in the next three weeks.

I’m not a big fan on wasting any food, so where possible I will use my leftovers – all older vegetables get used in stock or to make minestrone; they’re also frozen for when I do decide to make a big batch of stock; 4 day old bread gets toasted and put aside for breadcrumbs, which is my favourite use of leftovers.

What do you make with leftovers? Don’t you find they always taste better the next day! Not only have the flavours have had time to infuse together but you know that dinner is ready to go the next day. By adding new herbs or spices or other ingredients, you can create a totally different meal. That’s how I came up with this concoction.

Rice wraps are just like the other wheat or corn wraps you can buy in the supermarket but made from rice. I found them lighter for the belly (didn’t bloat) and they’re a much healthier alternative to bread. They were a delicious substitute to a salad sandwich but because I’ve been cooking some amazing food at school, the wraps were forgotten about.

Let me welcome you to my taco-cups – rice wraps, shaped into small cups (with the help of a muffin tin) and filled with an amazing meat and bean mixture. Then topped with our favourite toppings – lettuce, cheese, tomato, avocado and a spicy Habanero tobasco sauce! Yumm! What fillings are a must when it comes to tacos? Would love to hear what you enjoy in your tacos.

How do you like your tacos? Does the whole family enjoy these easy, finger-licking, messy meals together? Do you prefer soft shell, hard shell, crispy or puffy? As we all know, a taco is generally a corn or wheat tortilla, folded or wrapped around a filling. I’ve taken that general rule and changed it, just a little.

TIP 1: Don’t have chuck or chump steak? Try beef mince instead. Try not to use rump, scotch or porterhouse – these are better cuts of meat and are best left for the barbeque. Use a meat that likes to be slow cooked. Lamb would be a great alternative too.

TIP 2: Ensure you use a frypan that’s large enough to fit the meat in one layer and it comes with a lid.

TIP 3: Mountain Bread is the brand of rice wraps I used.

 

PREP: 10 minutes + 20 minutes   COOK: 2½ hours (meat) + 6-7 minutes (cups)    SERVES: 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
MEAT AND BEANS FILLING:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, sliced
½ tablespoon cumin seeds
650 grams chuck steak, seasoned with salt & pepper
½ tablespoon smokey paprika
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (400 grams) mixed beans
1 cup chicken stock (not pictured)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 packet rice wraps, each wrap cut into quarters
Canola spray (optional)

SALAD:
2-3 Roma tomatoes, diced
4-5 Cos lettuce leaves, shredded
1 avocado, diced
Lime or lemon juice
Grated tasty cheese
Habanero Tabasco sauce (optional)

METHOD:

Heat oil in a frypan and cook the onion and cumin seeds for 3-4 minutes, until softened, on medium-high heat.

Add the steaks, browning on either side. This should only take one minute each side. Stir the onion occasionally to not burn.

Sprinkle the paprika on the meat and stir though the garlic. Mix all ingredients together to ensure everything gets evenly coated.

Add the beans, juice and all, with the chicken stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the lid on the saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer for two to two and a half hours.

Allow to cool for at least half an hour to an hour before removing the meat only, from the pan and pull/shred the meat apart with your hands (the best part!) Place the meat back into the bean sauce. Warm if required.

Prepare all your salad ingredients so they’re ready to go. To stop the avocado from going brown before serving, sprinkle some lime/lemon juice over it.

Heat the oven to 180°C (370-375 °F). Get your 12 hole muffin tray (two six hole muffin trays work perfectly too) and gently push one quarter wrap into one hole, being careful not to break the wraps – a couple broke on me but there was plenty so I didn’t mind. Repeat process until all wraps are used. Spray with canola spray – I found this helps give the wraps a slightly golden colour. Place the muffin tray in the oven for 6-7 minutes. Remove and place on a plate in the middle of the table.

To serve, place all salad ingredients in small bowls in the middle of the table and let everyone make their own taco cups.

I like to place the meat/bean filling in first, topped with some cheese, Tabasco sauce, lettuce tomato and avocado. They’re messy but deeeee-lish-us!

 

      

I love joining share parties and link ups. Some of these parties is my first time joining and others I’ve missed for a week or two due to school. I would like to thank all my hosts for great parties and for meeting some lovely new friends along the way – why don’t you come join us!

BIG Thank yous go out to my beautiful foodie friends:
Joanne from What’s on the List and Natasha from Natasha in Oz for Say G’day Saturday #113
Lucy from Bake Play Smile & Lauren from Create Bake Make for Fabulous Foodie Fridays #27
Ronda & Dina from Kitchen Dreaming, KC The Kitchen Chopper & Judy from The Midnight Baker for The Weekend Social week 46
Heidi from The McCallum’s Shamrock Patch for Pure Blog Love #10
Steph from A Time for Seasons for My Favourite Things #52