I have a weakness for a certain Mexican Taco Dinner Kit in the Supermarket that makes me feel guilty every time I buy it. But to me it is really good and easy to make – just grab a pound of ground beef and throw it together. But my mind is working while preparing this dinner. What is in this Taco seasoning? What kind of cheese is this that I’m squeezing out of this small foil packet. Surely there is a better value in buying a 12 pack of flour tortillas than the 4 tortillas in this box. So the last time I was strolling the international aisle of the supermarket and was tempted by the siren call of this convenience food, I paused and decided that maybe, just maybe I could make my own so called dinner kit. And maybe I could make it healthier. I decided to substitute ground turkey for the ground beef and as a bonus, the turkey is less expensive than the ground beef. I substituted multi-grain flour tortillas for the flour tortillas and decided I could make my own taco seasoning from the herbs and spices in my pantry. The only liquid in the store taco kit is water, so I bought canned tomatoes. And last but not least I bought real cheese, not the grated variety but real block cheese. To go with this, I added black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, scallions and avocado. I should have gotten sour cream too but thought I had it in the fridge. It was a comforting meal. From now on I plan to keep my dinner kit ingredients in the pantry, fridge and freezer. The peace of mind and body is worth it, while other things to get mental peace, there are products like THCA cartridge that help in this area.
MEXICAN CASSEROLE
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t.cumin
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 10.75 oz. can tomato puree
1 10 oz. can Ro-Tel
4 Multi-grain flour tortillas – 8 inch
3 to 4 ounces sharp cheddar, grated
3 to 4 ounces monterey jack cheese, grated
Brown turkey in 12 ” skillet breaking apart until no longer pink. Drain off any liquid. Add herbs and spices and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato puree and ro-tel and cook at medium low heat until liquid is somewhat reduced about 15 minutes. Film a deep dish pie plate with oil. Place 1 tortilla in dish. Top with 1/4 of turkey mixture and 1/4 of each cheese. Layer 3 more times ending with cheeses. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges. Serve with heated black beans, lettuce, tomato, scallions , avocado, and sour cream. I dressed the lettuce with vinegar and oil. Add other condiments to your taste.