Though the picture above may not be the most exciting foodie shot ever, the events leading up to the picture were pretty exciting. At least for me. Because I’ve slowly been adding foods back into my diet and the introduction of whole wheat was a rousing success. Which means homemade, whole wheat tortillas are now a menu option. Which means tacos are, too.
Or at least I thought they were until I read the ingredient list on the taco seasoning packet and discovered the ingredients included potato starch and sugar, two foods I’ve not yet reintroduced into my diet. And whey. Which comes from milk. Which means no go for this girl.
But since the thought of tacos had me salivating like one of Pavlov’s dogs, I did a quick internet search for DIY taco seasonings and found pages of them. The one I chose came from allrecipes.com and used ingredients already at hand. Though I didn’t have paprika. So I made it without the paprika, banking on my mother’s often stated opinion about the spice. “It doesn’t have any flavor. It’s just for show.” Which could also have been code for “It’s too expensive. We’re not buying it.” But the taco seasoning was delicious without paprika, so maybe she meant what she said.
Anyway, here’s my paprika-free version of the taco mix. For meat, I used one whole chicken breast, cut into very small pieces (smaller than stir fry) and pan fried in a little coconut oil.
DIY Taco Seasoning
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup water and spice mix to browned meat. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes until water is evaporated. Serve in whole wheat taco shells with whatever you like for toppings.
