Tacos are delicious and fun to eat, especially when you've had day that was not quite a fiesta. Here is the first of a series of healthy taco recipes from Southern Living. This recipe also includes a vegetarian way to prepare the tacos that seems to be just as delicious as the meat recipe.

Picadillo Tacos

This meaty mixture is also great served as a taco salad or wrapped in enchiladas and burritos.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Yield: Makes 8 tacos

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground round
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 to 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
• 8 (8-inch) soft taco-size corn or flour tortillas, warmed
• Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs

Preparation

1. Cook ground round in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 7 minutes or until meat crumbles and is browned. Stir in carrots, onion, and salt; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and chipotle peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes or until tomatoes begin to soften. Serve mixture with warm tortillas. Garnish, if desired.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per taco with flour tortilla and 1/2 cup beef mixture (not including garnish).

Vegetarian Picadillo Tacos: Substitute 1 (12-oz.) package frozen meatless burger crumbles for ground round. Proceed with recipe as directed, sautéing crumbles in hot oil 3 to 4 minutes. Prep: 15 min., Cook: 13 min.

Per taco with flour tortilla and 1/2 cup meatless mixture (not including toppings): Calories 173; Fat 6g (sat 0.8g, mono 0.8g, poly 2.7g); Protein 9.7g; Carb 20.6g; Fiber 2.5g; Chol 0mg; Iron 2.2mg; Sodium 548mg; Calc 63mg

Nutritional Information

Calories:

165

Fat:

5.8g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.1g,poly 1.2g)

Protein:

11.1g

Carbohydrate:

16.8g

Fiber:

1g

Cholesterol:

23mg

Iron:

1.8mg

Sodium:

395mg

Calcium:

48mg

Maria Corbalan, Southern Living, JUNE 2009