the ungreasy taco

you guys, you guys! I'm so excited about this little trick I learned today from eating well. so, david loves greasy tacos. gross right? but then again, not really because they're really good sometimes. he's from southern california which pretty much equals greasy mexican food, hence the loving of greasy tacos. unfortunately, the devotion to this oily delicacy is not exactly conducive with our plan to lose weight . . . enter a baked alternative.
here's how it works. instead of firing up the old frying pan and filling it with canola oil, you heat your oven to 375 and spray those corn tortillas with canola oil cooking spray. then sprinkle it with chili powder and some kosher salt and drape them over a bar of your oven rack so that it creates a taco shell (bake for 7 - 10 minutes). so genius!

the ungreasy taco

12 Crispy Taco Shells (recipe above)
Lean & Spicy Taco Meat (recipe follows)
3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 cup prepared salsa
1/4 cup diced red onion

To assemble, fill each taco shell with (in any order): a generous 3 tablespoons taco meat, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 tablespoon tomato, 1 tablespoon salsa, 1 teaspoon onion.

lean & spicy taco meat

8 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
8 ounces 99%-lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, preferably Rotel brand (see Shopping Tip), or 1 1/4 cups petite-diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile or 1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Place beef, turkey and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain off fat. Wipe out the pan. Return the meat to the pan and add tomatoes, cumin, ground chipotle (or chili powder) and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes.