love of local in Utah
Crazy Cheap & Easy Dinner Recipe #5 by Vanessa (Me!)—Tacos
Vanessa (me!) is our fifth “chef” this week showing off her favorite go-to meal for a “Crazy Cheap & Easy Family Dinner.” Check out the recipes we have featured all week long to catch up! To display the button on your own blog, click here.
Tacos
Don’t invite me over to your house and feed me ground beef tacos with flour tortillas and microwaved-from-a-can refried beans. It ain’t good. Plus, you can do better and I will teach you.
Refried Beans
Ingredients:
2 cans of refried beans
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic
Salt & Pepper
*Secret Ingredient* aka Pinto Bean Spice or Taco Seasoning
Directions:
Cook the onion and garlic with some olive oil and set aside.
Heat up the refried beans. Add in onion, garlic, salt and pepper and *Pinto Bean Spice* or *Taco Seasoning* that you can find in your local Latin Market.
It will taste like the beans you love at your favorite Mexican Restaurant. You can even throw in some cheese to make them a bit cheesy.
Rice (makes two cups)
Ingredients:
4 cups of water
2 cups of rice
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic
Salt
*Secret Ingredient* aka Calde de Tomate Bouillon Cubes from your local Latin Market
Directions:
Cook the onion and garlic with some olive oil and set aside.
Make the rice as normal.
About 5 minutes before it is done, throw in the bouillon cube, onion, garlic and salt.
It will taste like the rice you have at your favorite Mexican Restaurant and will make it that pretty color. It isn’t too spicy for anyone either.
Meat
Ready for this super secret recipe…BUY IT. Buy Carne Asada from your local Latin market, and ask for their seasoning to be added in. If you live in Utah, I HAVE FOUND THE BEST LATIN MARKET. Email me. It’s amazing.
You aren’t going to make Carne Asada better on your own.
All the Trimmings
Corn Tortillas (and I guess you can do Flour Tortillas as well)
If you are being authentic, just grab some Mexican Sour Cream.
If you aren’t….
Simple AND Cheap
Drink
When I do a tasty but simple and cheap meal like this, I like to jazz it up with the fun table settings AND drink. Whip up your favorite juice concoction. Mine is equal parts of Sierra Mist, Cranberry/Raspberry Juice, Pineapple Juice and Orange Juice.
Dessert
For dessert, go with something simple that you know everyone loves. In our family it is “Congo Bars” and Hot Cocoa. You know it will turn out fantastic and it won’t be a worry! Cheap too 🙂
Wasn’t this fun? I have loved these “Crazy Cheap & Easy Dinner Recipes.” Thanks for playing!
