For Cinco de Mayo I wanted to showcase one of my favorite “food truck” style taco recipes. As you can probably tell by my post history I am a big fan of tacos. I wanted to incorporate my favorite part about fajitas–the seasoned peppers and onions–into a taco recipe. The beef is seasoned with a medley of spices that complements the bell peppers and caramelized onions. The salsa is a simple “restaurant style” recipe made with oven roasted tomatoes and blended with chilies, garlic and jalapenos. It also happens to be excellent with chips so have some of those handy for an appetizer! One of my latest favorite taco toppings has been avocado cream which sounds fancier than it is. While avocados are always perfect on their own, I sometimes like to mix them up a bit. All you need is a ripe, well mashed avocado, sour cream and lime juice. Mix together and there you have it–super easy! Top this one with plenty of the salsa and lime juice. I used a finely shredded sharp cheddar to garnish but a crumbly queso fresco or white cheddar would be excellent as well.
Spiced Beef Fajita Tacos with Avocado Cream and Restaurant Style Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 Red and orange bell peppers sliced
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1.34 lb ground beef
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 12 soft corn tacos or more depending on desired serving size
- sharp cheddar finely shredded
- 1 batch restaurant style salsa recipe below
- 1 large ripe avocado mashed smooth
- 1/4 cup sour cream or more to taste
- 1 lime juice
- 1 handful cilantro chopped
Instructions
-
In a saute pan, heat 1 tbsp canola oil, add the onions, bell peppers and oregano. Heat until the onions are caramelized and peppers are soft, about 10-15 minutes on medium high heat, adjusting heat as necessary.
-
In a separate pan, heat another tbsp canola oil and brown the beef, mixing in the paprika, cumin, allspice, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Once browned through, turn to lowest heat.
-
In a mixing bowl, mash the avocado as smooth as possible and mix in the sour cream, salt and lime juice.
-
Lightly warm the taco shells over a stove burner and add servings of beef and bell pepper mixture. Top with the salsa, avocado cream, shredded cheese, lime juice and cilantro. Enjoy!
Restaurant Style Salsa
Ingredients
- 10 or 12 tomatoes cut in half
- 6 cloves garlic loose chopped
- 4 oz. can fire roasted chilies
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 jalapeno diced
- pinch cumin
- pinch cayenne
- salt to taste
- handful cilantro
Instructions
-
Brush several cookie sheets with oil and cut the tomatoes in half. Place the tomatoes cut side down and broil until charred, about 15-20 minutes.
-
Remove tomatoes from the oven and let cool for several minutes. Pinch off the skins and discard.
-
Add tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, green chili, cilantro and garlic to the food processor. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your food processor. Puree the ingredients until smooth.
-
Once fully pureed, stir in the lime juice, cumin, cayenne and salt.
