Taco Seasoning

My German roots are showing.  I didn't even realize it was Cinco de Mayo until the pastor mentioned a Mexican-themed meeting after church.  That's not a problem, though, since my dinner plans weren't set in stone yet anyway.  We gathered up a few ingredients, and some store-bought tortilla chips, and pulled together some heaping nachos.

But I didn't want to pull together a mini-party without sharing a recipe with my on-line readers.  So here's my homemade version of taco seasoning.

I enjoy making my own seasoning blends, so that I can spend my limited grocery budget more frugally.  I also like to be confident that my seasonings are 100% guaranteed to be MSG-free.  I buy the individual seasonings in bulk, then blend them together and store them to quickly toss into a meal.

Taco Seasoning

• 1/2 cup ground cumin
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 3/8 cup oregano
• 3/8 cup garlic powder
• 3/8 cup cornstarch
• 1/8 cup salt 
• 1/8 cup cayenne pepper
• 1 Tablespoon onion powder

Mix, and store in an airtight jar. 

When I make tacos I like to brown the beef and set it aside.  Then I saute an onion.  Finally, I return the meat and add 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup water (per pound of meat) and 1/8 cup of the seasoning blend per pound of meat.  (Important: don't add all of the above to a pound of meat.  You'll be a little overwhelmed.  Trust me on this.)

You may be wondering why this recipe doesn't include chili powder.  Almost every on-line recipe includes a line for chili powder.  Is it possible that I left something out? 

Actually all of the ingredients in chili powder are repeated in taco seasoning, so it didn't make sense to me to buy a separate mix just to add them in again.  Instead, I add the chili powder ingredients to the original recipe just to simplify life a little bit.

If you don't want to store any leftover taco seasoning, you can just add the following to one pound of meat, along with 2/3-3/4 cup of water.

Taco Seasoning for One Meal

• 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon oregano
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon onion powder

My inspirations:
http://southernfood.about.com/od/seasoningrecipes/r/bl30420j.htm
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning/detail.aspx
http://www.grouprecipes.com/5616/best-ever-taco-seasoning-mix.html

Linked with Whole Foods Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday and Thank Your Body Thursday.