Recipe: Beef Taco or Burrito Filling

I found this delicious taco filling recipe from a food blog called The Preppy Paleo. The author adapted it from Cook's Illustrated, and since I found the recipe earlier this month, I've made it five times now -- yes, that means I've made it at least twice a week for the past couple of weeks. It is easy and delicious and has my family's seal of approval. It reminds me of my favorite homemade chili, but it doesn't take nearly as long to cook.

This is how I eat it, using large pieces of lettuce as "boats" with dollops of sour cream on top. The extra crunch complements the flavors of the meat perfectly. So good. My mouth is watering just looking at this photo. My husband eats it with flour and/or corn tortillas, and my son just spoons it into his mouth.

I won't actually reprint the recipe here -- just go to the Preppy Paleo webpage -- but I'll note that:

• If you don't want it really spicy, either lessen the cayenne paper to a pinch or eliminate it altogether. You can always add spice to it on your dinner plate with hot sauce or pepper. Meanwhile, your 4-year-old won't get upset that it's too hot in his mouth. Poor thing. (Milk helped.)
• The sweetener and vinegar are unnecessary, but they do add a very subtle flavor.
• Since the recipe doesn't require draining the fat, you're going to have a very wet filling, so just be aware. I personally LOVE the extra fat and always have since I was a kid. I use grass-fed beef so it has lots of Omega-3 and CLAs. The fat flavored with the cumin, coriander, and chili powder is out of this world. Yum!

xo, Gladys