3 Ways to Step Up Your Taco Tuesday Game
Everyone loves tacos! In fact, we love our tacos so much that they have their own day of the week and year (October 4). We can often get stuck in a ‘taco rut’ and make the same taco recipe every time. Follow these tips to step up your Taco Tuesday game and enhance the flavor and nutrition of your dish.
Create a flavorful base. Before adding meat and beans to your taco shell, spread on this delicious Creamy Avocado Hummus. This smooth and creamy spread is half the calories of traditional hummus and provides calcium and protein by using Greek yogurt. Many taco toppings end up falling off the top of the taco, but spreading this on the tortilla will help to ensure a flavorful bite each time.
Mix the cheese in. Don’t just top your taco with cheese. Mix your favorite cheese in with the meat or bean filling while it’s warm on the stove. The warm, melty cheese adds a comforting flavor throughout the filling. Good news for the lactose intolerant taco fan, you can enjoy aged hard cheeses, such as cheddar, which are low in lactose.
Make the swap. Amp up nutrition and decrease calories and fat by topping your taco with a dollop of nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Two tablespoons of sour cream provide 51 calories, 5 grams of fat and 1 gram of protein, while 2 tablespoons of nonfat Greek yogurt provides 16 calories and 3 grams of protein with no fat. It’s a simple way to trim calories and fat and still tastes great.
Mix and Match Your Taco Recipe:Base:
Hard shell or soft-shell taco
Lettuce leaf
Main Filling:
Lean ground beef (mix finely chopped, cooked mushrooms with lean ground beef for a twist)
Lean ground chicken
Lean ground turkey
Beans
Vegetables
Fish
Eggs
Toppings:
Shredded low-fat cheese
Low-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
Sliced avocado
Black beans
Pinto beans
Chopped green pepper
Chopped green onion
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped yellow onion
Chopped mushrooms
Sliced olives
Chopped cilantro
Sliced jalapeños
Shredded lettuce
Broccoli slaw
Salsa
Serve your tacos with a side of rice or beans, fruit, and a glass of low-fat milk. Taco Tuesday is fun for the whole family. Try serving it buffet-style so everyone can create their own taco masterpiece.
Janine is a registered dietitian and president of Janine Faber Nutrition, LLC. She enjoys inspiring others through nutritious meals and tips via regular television segments, presentations, cooking demonstrations and written articles. Janine was awarded the Ohio Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year award from the Ohio Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 2008 and the Supermarket Dietitian of the Year Award from the Produce for Better Health Foundation in 2014.