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Crunchy Low-Fat Tacos




Source of Recipe


SHAPE Magazine


List of Ingredients




olive-oil cooking spray
8 corn tortillas
1 pound ground chicken
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
2 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
2 beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream


Recipe



Robin Vitetta-Miller, M.S., author of The Newlywed Cookbook (Sourcebooks Inc., 1999), shows you how to say adios to the deep-fried, high-fat taco shells from the supermarket and bake your own crunchy tacos at home in minutes. Follow her other tips for nonfat/low-fat substitutions and cut as many as 212 calories and 30 fat grams per serving compared to conventional preparation.

Preheat oven to 400F. Coat a large baking sheet lightly with olive-oil spray. Place tortillas on baking sheet; spray top sides with olive-oil spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake 2 minutes; remove sheet from oven; fold tortillas in half and bake 8 more minutes, until golden and slightly crisp but still flexible.

Meanwhile, coat a large, nonstick skillet with olive-oil spray. Set pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add turkey and sauté 4 minutes, until browned, breaking up meat as it cooks. Add chili powder and cumin; mix well. Add tomato sauce; simmer 2 minutes, until liquid is reduced. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon turkey mixture into taco shells. Serve with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream as garnishes.

The technique: oven "frying"
Crunchy tacos are an American favorite, but the deep-fried, high-fat taco shells add calories you don't need. Tacos are easy to revamp, and you don't have to give up the crunch you love. Coating corn tortillas lightly with olive-oil cooking spray before baking them moistens them just enough so they brown without burning, allowing them to become slightly crisp. Fill the lightened-up shells with seasoned ground turkey instead of ground beef and garnish with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, low-fat cheese and sour cream to complete the meal. Add a spoonful of salsa or some hot sauce for even more taste.

5 calorie cutters
* Baking corn tortillas coated with olive-oil cooking spray and using them instead of fried taco shells cuts 5 fat grams per serving.

* Substituting ground chicken for ground beef eliminates 146 calories and 15 fat grams.

* Replacing store-bought taco seasoning mix with a blend of chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and tomato sauce saves a few calories.

* Using a reduced-fat shredded cheese blend instead of the customary grated Cheddar cuts 44 calories and 5 fat grams.

* Substituting nonfat sour cream for the full-fat version slashes 16 calories and 5 fat grams.