It's getting close to Cinco de Mayo, so some appropriate values this week in the stores:
- Ground beef
- Albertsons - $2.99/lb (85% lean patties, 3 lb pkg - Moran's; Cheapest they had)
- Fred's - $1.68/lb (80% lean, 3 lb pkg)
- Safeway - $1.79/lb (80% lean)
- Tomatoes
- Albertson's - $1.99/lb (On the vine)
- Fred's - $.97 (on the vine)
- Safeway - $1.49/lb (Roma)
- Cheese - store brands
- Albertson's - $4.49/lb (1 lb brick or shred)
- Fred's - $1.99/lb (2 lb brick)
- Safeway - $1.99/lb (2 lb brick)
- Chicken Breast - Boneless/Skinless
- Albertson's - $3.99/lb
- Fred's - $2.48/lb
- Safeway - $2.99/lb
I like tacos, whether they're made with beef, chicken or fish, but those packaged taco seasoning mixes are expensive for the 2 ounces of spice you get. Plus, making your own from scratch tastes much better, and you can make it as spicy (or not) as you want! Here's a simple recipe that I use for ground beef taco filling:
Simple and Cheap Beef Taco Filling
- 1 lb ground beef (I grind my own and it's about 90% lean, but 80% will work just fine, too.)
- 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin (I like cumin a lot.)
- Big pinch dried oregano
- 8 oz can tomato sauce (or use jarred salsa)
- As much hot pepper sauce as you like - I use Sriracha Rooster Sauce, 1 tablespoon for medium hot
- About a half a cup of water
- 1/4 cup (or more!) fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Cook ground beef in a saute pan, breaking beef up into small pieces as it browns. When it's almost done, stir in the garlic and onion and cook until the onion is clear and the meat is fully browned. Spoon off excess fat. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato sauce or jarred salsa, hot pepper sauce and water, stirring to mix well. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes to meld flavors. Remove cover. Finish over medium high heat, stirring to allow steam to escape until sauce is thickened, about another 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Makes enough for about 8 generously filled tacos.
Once you've tried this, you'll never buy the packages again! I vary it from time to time by using different salsas, and have had great results using the Safeway brand Peach-Pineapple Medium hot. It's good, and goes on sale regularly.