Turkey Tacos
Just because you can’t have tacos anymore now that you’ve discovered the fabulous Paleo life, doesn’t mean you can’t have tacos! And this is a reason to celebrate, Paleo People!
When my sister Shelley texted me a photo of her lettuce-boat tacos one day, I thought, why didn’t I think of that yet???
Tacos used to be one of my very favorite foods. I used to make them weekly for dinner, even hand-frying the corn shells myself. I used to look soooo forward to taco night. But, when we went Paleo, I just wrote them off the list. Until I received Shelley’s text.
So I finally whipped some up for Jake and I the other day, and they were AWESOME. The Romaine leaves (used in place of the taco shell), added the perfect amount of crunch. Now, I thought I’d found a taco seasoning at Trader Joe’s without all the extra gunk (corn starch, etc.), but didn’t notice until I got home that the one I found had “pure cane sugar” in it. Oops. And I want to provide YOU with something better. So, I searched high and low, and found a great scratch taco seasoning that received 5-stars after 1440 votes. I will be sure to make this easy recipe the next time I cook these up!
Ingredients:
- 6 full Romaine leaves, stems intact
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided (you could also use coconut oil)
- 1.5 lbs. ground Turkey (chicken and beef will work just as well)
- Scratch Taco Seasoning (chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried oregano, paprika, ground cumin, sea salt, black pepper)
- Top with your favorite: fresh organic salsa, homemade guacamole, sliced olives, diced tomatoes
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 Tablespoons of the Olive Oil at medium-high, and then add the ground turkey. Cook for about 7 minutes, or until done. Drain excess juice from the pan. Turn the heat down to low, and add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and about 1/4 cup of water to the turkey. Add your taco seasoning and mix well.
Place scoops of the taco meat onto your washed Romaine leaves. (Using the full leaves gives them stability for holding while eating.) Top with whatever Paleo taco toppings sound good to you! I did mine with a store-bought organic salsa, and our favorite homemade guacamole.
So delicious, I had to take a mid-bite photo :)
Leftover taco meat makes for a quick & easy breakfast too!
CLICK HERE FOR A PRINTABLE RECIPE FOR TURKEY TACOS!
Happy eating! Joey
Sleep Love Eat 
Joey, these look great! I love your recipes, now I just need to try them. The pictures make them look so good!
Best taco’s I’ve had. :) Thanks for cooking babe.
Very clever! Will have to try this soon.
I think we should just re-name them…taco boats!
Ooo I’ll have to try those! Sounds yummy! I’ve been using that scratch taco seasoning in my taco soup for awhile and its so much better than the store bought stuff.
These look amazing. Mexican cuisine is also one of my very faves. Before the Paleo diet, we ate enchiladas & tacos at least once a week. I will definitely be trying these. Thanks for sharing.
Also, with a little cumin, ground coriander, chili pepper, and salt, you can make your own Mexican spice mix. The cumin’s the trick- and your custom mix will be free of the bad stuff.
Cara
primroseandpaleo.wordpress.com
I’ve been meaning to ask. I have read “the paleo diet” and it says specifically no coconut oil. can i substitute with it or should i listen to the book
At that time, he was against saturated fat (maybe to make the book more people-friendly? hmmm…). Mark Sisson answers this question better than I can – he even has a section addressing Cordain’s stance on the subject. Read the article here: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/saturated-fat-healthy/
Thanks so much for the post. Made these last night (and finished them for lunch today). Absolutely delicious. The homemade taco seasoning tasted exactly like what we’re used to with the pre-package seasoning. Well done!
Yay! Glad it was a hit. Hmm. Now I’m craving tacos.
Just made these for my first Paleo meal ever! Delicious and can’t wait for lunch leftovers tomorrow. Thanks for all the great meal ideas!
What are the measurements for the from stratch Taco Seasoning? I would love to try this!
Hi Nicole, the link within the text should open up the specific recipe for the taco seasoning. If not, here it is again: http://paleogirls.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/taco-seasoning.pdf