The other day, I did find myself in a position where I had every ingredient for tacos but none of those little packets of store-bought taco seasoning. I decided to mix up my own with good results. You may notice that the photo above is not my own. I did not think about taking food photos at the time.
My mix is about the same heat level as those that you can buy, and gives a little spice but is still fairly mild. Some of the others in my family do not have the same tolerance for heat that I do, so I have to keep that in mind.
Susan’s Taco Seasoning
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Print my Susan’s Taco Seasoning recipe card here.
Here are some additional healthy tips if you want to enjoy tacos and cut back on calories.
- Watch your portion. You can enjoy two or three, but don’t go totally loco.
2. Use lean ground beef. You can find 90% lean beef, but I usually use 85%.
3. Limit or cut back on the fatty toppings like cheese, sour cream and guacamole/avocado. You can have as many veggie toppings like onion, lettuce and tomato as you like. Avocados are a good source of healthy fats, but they still need to be somewhat limited.
4. Replace regular sour cream with reduced-fat sour cream or …
5. Replace sour cream with nonfat Greek yogurt. You’ll still get that tart taste. Possibly, you could add a little lemon or lime juice to thin it out.
6. Salsa can give a lot of flavor to tacos without adding many calories. I prefer fresh salsa much more than the jarred kind. Some grocery stores sell freshly made salsa or pico de gallo in the produce department or you could make your own at home with chopped tomatoes, onions, sweet and hot peppers.
7. One idea is to limit your toppings to guacamole and fresh salsa. The flavors will balance each other out, a little cool and a little heat, and you’ll get nutritional benefits from the fruit and veggies. If you’re an avocado lover like I am, I don’t think you will even miss the other fats.