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!
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.
Spoon some taco meat into the endive leaves, then add any combination of toppers that you like!
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Homemade Taco Seasoning
Description
Homemade Taco Seasoning is made with spice cupboard staples, and is free from additives, preservatives, and artificial coloring!
Ingredients
- 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
- 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.
Crunch-tastic, people – and so fun to eat!
I am your newest fan! I am formally from a farm in Iowa and living in sunny so. calif. I love your blog. My inlaws from down under are coming in and they are gluten free. This is a brilliant idea that I will serve to them. Keep up the great job.
p.s. thanks for making a homemade taco seasoning and not using a package. I so appreciate that.
Love your site. I tried the super foods salad–wow.
I vote soft shell then taco salad, but considering giving Endive a try. My husband and I try new things now that we are empty nesters.
Great idea!
I am usually a soft shell person when it comes to tacos. MMMMM….
Ahh cereal is the culprit of us all! And hawaiian sweet rolls are one of my childhood faves. I would always smash them flat and then eat them.
These boats are super creative, love it!
Puffy taco shells like they have at Tasty Tacos :)
Luuuuuurve.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an endive as a whole like that – neat idea! I’ve only had it chopped up in salads.
What a great idea! Love it!
Love that make your own taco seasoning! I just started doing that too, and I feel so much better knowing exactly what’s going into the beef and controlling the sodium content. I vote soft shell corn tortillas every time!
Love this! I have also been eyeing my swimsuit and have decided the non-stop carb parade must come to a close with winter! Do you have any recommendations for a good low-carb recipe resource (in addition to you of course!) I can’t seem to find a really good cookbook or website that does easy, creative and flavorful low-carb…like your taco boats!
Hmmm – I’d start with SkinnyTaste.com. She posts nutritionals for each recipe so you’ll be able to tell right away if it’s a low-carb recipe!
Omg I loveeee that Tostitos restaurant salsa. It’s pretty new here in Canada. Cannot get enough. MM tacos.
Great idea! I’ve never used endive in cooking before. Question: where is that very cute wine rack from??
I bought mine from IKEA & it looks like we have the same one :)
It’s from IKEA, and I think they still sell it!
I never thought to use goat cheese on tacos, sounds interesting. I like the endive idea too, clever.
Want these now! :)
Ingenious! I love those endive taco shells!
This recipe totally made me smile! I already pinned it to my Pinterest board & will definitely be trying it out for dinner next week! Thanks for your awesome creativity! I’m also having trouble with staying low-carb so this recipe was pretty inspiring! If you have any more low-carb tips or recipes I’d love to hear about them! :)
Looks awesome!! So colorful!
Backhoe them into your mouth…hilarious!!!! And they look delicious.
Love the recipe! How creative with endive. I will have to try it.
Sounds like heavenly weather there. Enjoy!
this recipe looks amazing! also, wish i’d seen it yesterday, as we had good ol’ fashioned fatty tacos…but, totally planning this for next time- thanks! :)
You never cease to amaze me with your spin on healthy recipes! LOVE!