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In addition to craving Chinese food lately, tacos have also creeped their way up to the top of my must-eat list. Nothing sounds better right now than a hot and crispy taco with tons of ice-cold toppings and infinite amounts of shredded cheddar cheese. RIGHT?!

At the same time, I also have a craving for fitting into my bikini next month, and have been attempting to cut back on carbs starting this week. It’s…not going well.

Everything has carbs!

Well, everything I like, anyway. Cereal, fruit, cereal, yogurt, cereal, popcorn, cereal, the 12-packs of King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls Ben won’t stop buying on his way home from work, and did I mention cereal?

Still wanting to satisfy my latest craving, I met myself halfway and whipped up a hot and crispy taco for dinner tonight, but traded carb-laden taco shells, for low-carb endive leaves.

I’m calling them Low-Carb Taco Boats, and they are JUST the ticket! The endive leaves are super crunchy and actually hold up better than regular corn tortilla shells, which can get soggy and fall apart. Plus their mild taste really lets the toppings shine through. PLUS I seasoned the meat with my own homemade taco seasoning. It’s SO simple and there’s no additives like caking agents you’ll sometimes find in store bought blends. Love that!

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Start the taco boats by getting the endive “boats” ready. I picked up a pack of endive from Trader Joe’s that included two regular heads and one purple head. Since we’re need a pretty sturdy “boat” to hold all the taco fillings, I stuck to the regular endive as the purple is more delicate.

Cut the stem end off the endive and peel back the leaves, then wash and pat them dry. That’s it! Boats = ready.

Next, prepare the taco filling by browning 1lb ground beef.

Drain the cooked ground beef, return it to the pan, then hit it with single serving homemade taco seasoning – just enough for 1lb of meat, aka the equivalent of a store bought taco seasoning packet. My homemade version combines chili powder, garlic powder and onion powder with other seasonings like cumin, paprika and oregano. Sprinkle the blend in with 1/4 cup water then mix it with the ground beef.

Taco Boat assembly is next! Lay out a variety of toppings, taco-bar style, which could include tomatoes, salsa, cheddar cheese, green onion, red onion, and crumbled goat cheese.

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Spoon some taco meat into the endive leaves, then add any combination of toppers that you like!

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Homemade Taco Seasoning

5/5 (2 REVIEWS)

Description

Homemade Taco Seasoning is made with spice cupboard staples, and is free from additives, preservatives, and artificial coloring!

Ingredients

seasons 1lb meat

  • 2-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon regular or smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

  1. Mix together seasonings, then add to 1lb cooked and drained ground beef with 1/4 cup water. Mix well.

This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.

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Crunch-tastic, people – and so fun to eat!

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