For tonights dinner I decided to try out a different ethnicities cuisine, that being Mexican. I have had fish, chicken, and even shrimp tacos- but ground beef tacos are by far my favourite. I am lactose intolerant and could not find a lactose free sour cream at the store, so I decided to make homemade guacamole instead. I was totally fine with this substitute because what is better then guacamole!

Homemade Guacamole:

I love making my own guacamole and I do it on a regular basis, as I prefer it over store bought. I usually see what I have in the house and make it with what I got, but for this taco dinner, I looked up a proper guacamole recipe to follow. However, I used this recipe as a guideline instead of following it word for word. When I make guacamole I always use lemon juice over lime because I personally think that lemon compliments avocado better. Additionally, I never add cilantro because I do not like the taste; I never put tomatoes in either because I usually just put salsa straight on my taco. The recipe suggests the optional addition of cayenne pepper, I myself have never added in it before, but I decided to give it a try this time around. I mixed all the ingredients into a bowl and mixed it until the avocados had a smooth texture with absolutely no lumps.

Toppings:

One great thing about tacos is the variety of toppings you can put out for your guest to choose from. For tonight, my toppings included tomatoes, lettuce, and lactose free Monterey Jack cheese. Starting with the tomatoes, I cut them julienne. The cutting technique referred to as “Julienne” is when a vegetable is cut into long, thin strips that are all consistent in size. Once I cut the tomatoes into strips, I cut them once again into small square pieces. I shredded the lettuce using a sharp serrated knife and broke up the cheese into pieces using my hands.

Ground Beef and Tacos Shells:

While some make their own taco shells, I bought an Old El Paso kit that included soft taco shells, as they are better then hard shells in my opinion. The kit also included mild taco sauce and seasoning mix. The ground beef took around 7-8 minutes to cook completely. Before adding the seasoning mix, I drained out the grease/fat from the beef; once done, I added in water and the seasoning packet.

My final Product:

Mexican food is a favourite of mine, tacos being at the top of the list. This is the first time I’ve ever made ground beef tacos and it was a success! I made halibut fish tacos in the past, which were good, but they definitely don’t top ground beef. Making this meal, that is originally designed for multiple people, taught me portion control when making dinner for one without wasting food. The guacamole recipe was okay, but it wasn’t my favourite… I honestly like how I make it better than the recipe I tried.