beef

Let’s get straight to the point; tacos are delicious. The problem with tacos is not only can they can be calorically dense but they also tend to be lacking in the vegetable department. One way to combat this: turn your tacos into a deconstructed taco salad bowl.

Taco salad bowl with a dairy free and egg free avocado lime dressing.

Even with the bowls, however, you have to watch those toppings. Sour cream, cheddar cheese, avocado and the deep fried shell all add up fast.

Here are a few ways you can lighten up your taco bowl:

Replace deep fried high fat shell with homemade chips (if paleo, replace with plantain chips.)
Replace multiple high fat toppings with an avocado-lime dressing.
Replace high sodium taco seasoning with homemade.
And add in lots of veggies.

Homemade tortilla chips have less fat and carbs then store bought chips.

To assemble your bowls, just fill with whatever veggies you have in your fridge. I like a mix of romaine and spinach. Then I throw in some tomatoes, cucumber, sugar snap peas (for that crunch!), bell peppers, green onions. Add meat of your choice. I used ground beef for this one, but flank steak or chicken breast with some tex mex seasoning goes great (Check out my tex mex seasoning on Instagram here). Drizzle some avocado lime dressing over it, maybe a little pico de gallo or salsa and grab a handful of homemade chips. And there you have it, a healthier more satisfying version of your standard taco.

Recipes

For the chips:

Corn tortillas

Spray coconut oil

Salt

Preheat oven to 350.
Cut tortillas into triangles or strips
Spritz with oil and sprinkle with salt.
Cook for 8-10 mins. Keep an eye on them, they can burn quickly.

Taco Meat:

2 pounds extra lean ground beef or turkey.

½ onion finely diced.

3 garlic cloves

1 Tb cumin

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

2 tb tomato paste

1 cup tomato sauce

In a large, deep sided skillet brown the meat. Breaking it up into small pieces. Add onion garlic and seasonings. Cook till onion is soft and translucent.
Cover and cook on med low for 1/2 hour. Taste and add salt and spices as needed. (This recipe is kid friendly so it is very mild.)

For the Avocado lime dressing:

1/3 cup nondairy plain unsweetened creamer (I used the Nutpod brand, but you can replace with a mixture of coconut milk and nut milk.)

1 avocado

1 bunch of cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

2 scallions

1 tb olive oil

juice from 1 lime.

Throw everything into the blender and blend till nice and creamy. You may need to add a few tablespoons water to thin it out to desired consistency.

THE NEW YOU

This is another quick and easy recipe when you don’t feel like cooking. I like to keep this one on my menu during chaotic weeks when I don’t want to stress myself out any more. Like, I don’t know, the holiday season? It is basically just seasoned ground beef, topped with veggies and some tzatziki. Not only is this recipe stress free it is also high in protein and relatively low in carbs!

Tzatziki made with greek yogurt

If you are not familiar with tzatziki, it’s a cold sauce or dip made from yogurt. The recipe will make more tzatziki then you need for these gryo bowls. Save it, don’t toss it! There are so many ways to eat it. As a dip for crackers or veggies. Or it goes great with just about any meat.

These gyro bowls are able to be customized to meet your needs. Need some carbs? Serve over rice. Need more protein? Serve over quinoa. Neither? Serve over cauliflower rice or spinach. I personally prefer a mixture of quinoa and spinach.

The tzatziki does take some time since it needs to be prepared ahead of time. Everything else,however, comes together in 20 minutes! You can make the tzatziki ahead of time. (I’ve kept mine if the fridge for a couple days. I have no idea if will last longer than that since I usually eat it all my then!)

Beef Gyro Bowl over quinoa and spinach.

Top these bowls with whatever veggies you are feeling like. I use whatever I have hiding out in my fridge. I imagine some beets and radishes would go pretty well on this! If making this for little ones (or picky adults), just exclude things their palates might not like (in my house I leave the olives and red onions off the kids bowls)

Tzatziki

Makes 4 huge servings or more, smaller ones if you are not as obsessed as me.

16 oz 2% or whole fat plain greek yogurt. (Don’t use nonfat it will be too runny)

1 large cucumber, peeled seeded and diced

1 tb lemon juice

1 tb red wine vinegar

1 tb olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced or pressed

1 tsp dried dill

Seed the cucumber by cutting it in half and using a spoon to scrap the seeds out of the middle. Dice it as small as you have the patience for.
Toss the cucumber with kosher salt and place in a strainer. Fill a large gallon sized bag fil with ice and place on top and let it sit for at least an hour.
In the meantime, mix all remaining ingredients.
Remove cucumber and using cheese cloth or thick paper towel squeeze out any excess liquid.
Mix with yogurt mixture and adjust salt and pepper to taste
Set in fridge for at least on hour.

Gyro Bowls

Makes 4 servings

1 lb 95% lean ground beef

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp kosher salt

½ tsp garlic granules (or minced fresh garlic if you wish)

2 cups spinach

½ cup quinoa (omit if using rice or cauliflower rice)

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

½ cup red bell pepper, sliced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup red onion, diced

¼ cup Kalamata olives

¼ cup chopped walnuts.

1.Cook quinoa (or rice) according to package.

2.Season beef with oregano, rosemary and salt and pepper. Brown over medium heat and drain off any fat.

3.Place ¼ cup quinoa in each bowl. Top with ¼ of the ground beef. Add spinach, cucumber, red bell, tomatoes, red onion. Top each bowl with ½ cup tzatziki (less if you are not a freak about it like I am), 1 tb Kalamata olives and 1 tb walnuts.

Enjoy!

Nutrition for ¼ the amount plus ½ cup tzatziki

Calories: 379 Carbs: 24 Fat: 14 Protein: 38

Inspired by a recipe from Clean Eating Magazine.

quick-and-easy-beef-gyro-bowls