What’s On My Plate? Weblog

The New Adventures of a Flexatarian Cook

Healthy Beef Tacos August 17, 2009

Filed under: Beef, Recipes — whatzonmyplate @ 1:47 pm

I found the following recipe in the June 2009 issue of Shape magazine and thought it sounded super tasty. I found these tacos so very filling and flavorful. I loved the addition of bulgur to the dish and I think this recipe will even pass the test for most meat-a-tarians. The bonus is that these tacos are almost half the calories and 1/4 of the fat of your typical homemade beef taco. The only revision that I made to the recipe is that instead of 1 can of crushed tomatoes I used 1 can of diced tomatoes with jalepeno. SPICY! :)  Enjoy!

Recipe Rating: 4 out of 5

Unfortunately I cannot find the recipe on the Shape website so no link…

Fatty Tacos Lighten Up-  Shape Magazine – June 2009

Ground beef, cheddar, sour cream–read the main ingredients in a typical taco recipe and you can’t help but think: calorie bomb. Before you cross them off the menu, though, try this easy recipe from Sandy Gluck, food writer and host of Everyday Food on Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius XM. “You can slash the fat by swapping ground chuck for leaner sirloin and using lower-fat feta in place of cheddar,” she says. “The feta is tangy and creamy, so you don’t need sour cream at all.” Cluck also replaced some of the beef with bulgur, which has the same texture but is loaded with fiber. Other, ways this taco is terrific for your health: Romaine has almost 10 times the amount of beta-carotene in traditional iceberg and is higher in vitamin C and folate. And by using chili powder in place of taco seasoning, you cut the sodium content almost in half.

HEALTHY BEEF TACOS

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

4 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/4 cup bulgur

8 ounces ground sirloin

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 15-ounce can low-sodium crushed tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 6-inch corn tortillas

4 ounces crumbled feta

2 cups shredded romaine

In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium. Add peppers, scallion whites, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for about 7 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in bulgur. Add sirloin, chili powder, and cumin and cook, stirring until beef is no longer pink, for about 3 minutes.

Mix in tomatoes and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes or until bulgur is tender.

Using tongs, hold each tortilla over a burner for about 15 seconds or until lightly toasted. (You can also wrap stacked tortillas in a paper towel and microwave them; wrap them in foil and heat them in a 350[degrees]F oven for about 5 minutes; or toast them in a dry skillet.) Spoon 1/2 cup filling down the center of each tortilla. Top with feta, romaine, and scallion greens.

Nutrition score per serving (2 tacos): 399 calories, 15 g fat (34% of calories), 7 g saturated fat, 44 g carbs, 22 g protein, 9 g fiber, 224 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, 672 mg sodium