Taquitos

The kids love these! They are quite simple to make and you can vary the taste depending on what you prefer. This is a basic, classic recipe that you can then add to depending on whether you like it spicy or not. We bake ours instead of deep frying them, so they are low in calories and saturated fat.

Ingredients:
1 pound of  extra lean ground beef (you can use ground chicken or turkey instead of beef)
8-10 soft tortillas (spelt, or blue corn & garbanzo or organic whole wheat)
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup of shredded skim mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
2 tsp of paprika
2 tsp of garlic powder
2 tsp of cumin powder
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of black pepper
2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro leaves
1 medium chopped red onion

1) Add 1 tablespoon of oil in pan with chopped onion and saute for a few minutes.

2) Add ground beef to pan and cook on medium heat.
3) Add a bit of water to break up the meat.
4) Add all the dry spices (paprika, garlic, pepper, onion powder, cumin, black pepper)
5) Add lemon juice once meat is cooked and browned.
6) Add chopped cilantro.

7) Take a tortilla and split in half and brush a little bit of oil on the top evenly. You can make full sized ones as well. I prefer the smaller size for the kids.
8) Add meat mixture and top with a bit of cheese.
9) This is were the variations come in. You can add guacamole, salsa, jalapeno peppers, beans, rice etc...
10) Roll the half of the tortilla and brush the top with oil.
11) Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes and then broil for a couple of minutes to brown.

Enjoy with vegetable soup or salad.
Makes approx. 16 to 20 taquitos
Calories per taquito: 163, Fat: 8g, Carbs: 14g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 9g, Sodium: 169 mg, Sugars: 1g