Taco Salad (Keto)

We eat taco salad almost every Tuesday in my house.  It's a very simple recipe, but we love it around here.  We cut up all the toppings and everyone can personalize their bowl.  Before I went Keto, I ate it over corn chips (like Fritos), and my kids still eat it this way.  I make 3-4 pounds of meat for my family of 6.  This recipe includes my homemade taco seasoning.  I make large amounts and use 3 Tbsp per pound of meat.

Ingredients
1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water

Optional toppings:
lettuce
cheese
salsa
tomatoes
avocado
sour cream
guacamole
cucumber
black olives
corn chips (if you're not doing low-carb or keto)

Directions
Brown ground meat, drain, and return to pan.  Add all the seasonings and the water and bring to a boil but then reduce and simmer for 5 minutes.  Top with whatever taco toppings you choose.

Chili Seasoning Mix

I was making chili the other night and in reading through the recipe, when I was buying ingredients, I thought it said chili powder, and I said, "oh, I have plenty of that!" Then, as I was actually making the chili, I realized it said chili seasoning mix, and I went, "oh great! I don't have that!" So I quickly went online and searched for a chili seasoning mix I could make, and this is the one I came up with. It's a combination of what I found online and modified with what I had on hand, and I think it turned out really well. It's not super spicy, but it does have a bit of a kick, so if you want it less spicy, use less or no red pepper flakes.

Ingredients
1/4 cup flour (use 2 Tbsp corn starch if you need gluten/wheat free)
4 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (use less if you prefer less spicy)
1 Tbsp dried minced onion (or you could use onion powder)
1 Tbsp garlic powder (or you could use dried minced garlic)
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp black pepperDirections
Mix all of your ingredients in an air tight container. Use however much your recipe calls for. My chili recipe called 4 Tbsp chili seasoning mix which is probably equal to about a packet you would buy at the store. Store the rest away for future use.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

A few years ago I forgot to buy a taco seasoning packet and decided that I could probably make my own. I looked it up online and found a few recipes, but this one was one I had all the ingredients on hand. We loved it so much, I've never bought a packet of taco seasoning again. I've had many people comment about how good the seasoning is in my taco meat and how they think this is a great idea because many of the taco seasoning packets are pumped full of salt and not a lot of other spices.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar (leave out for low-carb/Keto)
1/2 tsp saltIf you are making tacos, add this to a pound of ground meat (already browned) plus 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 5 minutes.