Mexican Starter

This recipe came from the website cooks.com; however, I made a few modifications.  I have made this about 4 times, and I finally now really like the recipe (original recipe called for oregano, which was too weird in a Mexican dish, so I substituted cumin; I also changed some of the ratios, but didn’t change any other ingredients).  It is extremely versatile, and it can make several main dishes, but our favorite for taste was just simple tostadas (see picture below). I also made zucchini boats with it, stuffed bell peppers (also picture below), both of which we liked a lot.  The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. I doubled it every time I made it, and it was great left over.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

1 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 T. minced garlic (2-3 cloves)

1 green bell pepper, cored and diced (could use just ½ pepper)

6 oz. can tomato paste

1 C. water (add more to thin if needed)

1 small jar salsa (mild or medium to your taste)

½ t. cumin

1 T. Taco Seasoning

1 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. brown sugar

½ t. salt

¼ t. black pepper

To increase heat, you can add 1T. minced jalapeño, or ¼ to ½ t. chili powder, or a few dashes of Tobasco, or you could even add all three if you feel really hot and spicy!

Directions:

After browning ground beef, set aside.  In a large skillet, sauté the onion and green pepper till soft, about 5 minutes, adding the garlic after about 2-3 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients, including cooked ground beef.  Simmer for 30-45 minutes on low heat.  If using jalapeño, add it to onions and pepper while sautéing. 

Suggestions:

1.       Stuffed Peppers-combine 1:1 with cooked rice.  Fill peppers and bake at 350⁰F until peppers are tender (about 20-25 minutes).  Top with cheese.

2.       Tostada-layer on a fried corn tortilla: refried beans, cheese, meat mixture, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, avocado

3.       Serve with chips as a dip

4.       Chili-add 2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed.  (Could add corn too.)  Top with cheese. 

5.       Zucchini boats-scoop out zucchini centers and fill with meat mixture.  Top with cheese or buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350⁰F until zucchini is tender (about 25-30 minutes).

6.       Sub sandwiches-Top a sub with meat mixture and cheese and broil on high until cheese melts.  Top with thinly-sliced jalapeño if desired.