Karen's "Famous" Taco Meat

My taco meat is one of my most requested dishes, whether in nachos, tacos, or crumbled on salad. And now! The secret can be yours!!!

1lb ground turkey (you could use beef too, we just don't eat much of it)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped fine (optional)
chili powder
cumin
Ortega Taco Sauce
2c water or chicken broth (for more flavor)
olive oil

Spray a large skillet with olive oil and heat. When oil is hot, add onions, jalapeno and garlic and saute about 3 minutes.

Add turkey and cook til *just* brown.

Throw on some chili powder and cumin (to taste), the water (all of it! it looks weird, but trust me on this) and half of the bottle or Ortega (less if you like your tacos more mild). Stir well.

Turn heat to Med-Low and let simmer for at least 20 minutes.

VOILA. This was really good on nachos with sharp cheddar and the pico from the other day.

Bonus!

If you have some fresh bell pepper, try this:

Cut the top off a fresh bell pepper and clean seeds out from inside. Add layers of cheese, taco meat, and pico to fill the pepper. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 mins. Bring for lunch the next day and make all your coworkers DROOL.

Leftover Turkey "Tacos" in a Pita

So what do you do with all that leftover tasty turkey? Here's something I threw together before bed last night, thinking that letting it sit would help the flavors really mesh. This is one of those things where I threw together the about right amount by eyeballing. I wanted this for lunch for a few days. So use however much you think looks and tastes right.

leftover turkey, cooked
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, more or less to taste, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/4 habanero or jalepeno pepper
taco sauce
salsa
chili powder, to taste
cumin, to taste
fresh ground sea salt
fresh ground pepper

Grab a bowl. Cut up some of the leftover turkey and throw it in.

Add the garlic, onion, red pepper, habanero (if desired) and tomato.

Throw on some salsa (fresh or jarred) and some taco sauce (or leftover taco bell packets your husband seems to be collecting).

Add chili powder and cumin to taste. Sprinkle in a little salt and some pepper.

Mix it all around and let it sit overnight.

Stuff into a pita bread with a bit of cheese at lunch and enjoy!