Don't get me wrong, I love tacos. They're the perfect student meal; quick, easy and very cheap. It wasn't the tacos themselves that I found so offensive, it was simply that my family and I had eaten tacos every Tuesday for as long as I could remember. And it drove me insane.
So before you drive yourself insane with the same old tacos EVERY FLIPPING TUESDAY, try some of these Mexican twists.
The following recipe is my Mum's creation, and my boyfriend's favourite. It might be a bright idea to hide the leftovers in the back of the fridge because it's seriously yummy!
Mexican Lasagne
Feeds: Myself and Hungry Boyfriend for dinner, lunch and then dinner the next day
Cooking Time: 20 - 30 minutes
Total Cost: $12.85
Ingredients:
- 1/2 packet tortillas (roughly $1.50 - $3.15 for 1 packet)
- 500g mince, beef or chicken ($3/500g)
- 1 packet Mexican seasoning ($1.55)
- 2 chillies (free - pot plant)
- 1 bottle salsa sauce ($1.70)
- 1 large tub ricotta cheese ($4.20 - you can use cottage cheese, which is cheaper, or sour cream, which is tastier, instead if you like)
- 1 onion (70c)
- Handful of grated cheese (roughly 20c)
Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Chop onion and chillies finely.
2. Add a little oil to a frypan and gently fry the onions, chillies and mince until the mince is brown and the onions are soft. Add the packet of seasoning with water according to the instructions on the back.
3. Soak tortillas in water for a a few minutes.
4. Layer tortillas, mince, salsa sauce and ricotta until you run out.
5. Top with grated cheese.
6. Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and browned.
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture for this one since my boyfriend ate it all before I had a chance. I'll throw in a cute picture of my dog instead:
This next one is a variation on a recipe I found floating around Facebook. You may already have the Facebook version, however, I've made a few adjustments to make it more student-friendly and less American (no offense guys!). It looks complicated from the amount of ingredients, but it's actually super-easy!
Taco Pie
Feeds: Myself and Hungry Boyfriend for dinner with leftovers
Cooking time: 30 - 45 minutes
Total Cost: $7.90
Ingredients:
Base
- 2 tablespoons butter (roughly 10c)
- 1/4 cup plain flour (5c)
- 1/4 self raising flour (5c)
- 1/4 cup boiling water (free, unless you count the electricity used to boil the kettle...)
- 1/2 packet Mexican seasoning ($1.55 per packet)
Filling
- 250g mince ($1.50 - $3/500g packet)
- 1/2 tin refried beans ($1.35 - use the other half for the Frijoles below)
- 1/2 packet Mexican seasoning (as mentioned above)
- 1/2 brown onion (35c)
- 2 cloves garlic (15c)
- 2 chillies (free - pot plant)
- 1 bottle salsa sauce ($1.70)
- Handful of grated cheese (20c)
- Corn, to serve (85c ea.)
- Sprinkle of pepper (5c)
Method:1. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees Celsius.
2. Melt butter with the boiling water and mix with the flours and 1/2 packet of Mexican seasoning, reserving the other half. Knead on a lightly floured surface, rolling the dough out thinly (if you don't own a rolling pin, dust a wine or vodka bottle in flour and use that) and press into the bottom of a circular pan. Bake until golden-brown and firm.
3. (Interlude) If you like, butter 2 corn cobs and season with pepper. Place in oven with dough, turning regularly and you'll have a tasty side :)
4. Meanwhile; chop onion, garlic and chillies finely. Fry with mince in an oiled frypan until mince is brown and onion is soft. Add the remaining Mexican seasoning and water as per instructions.
5. By this time, the crust should be finished. Pour the mince mixture into the crust, top with beans, salsa and cheese and bake in oven until cheese has melted.
6. Serve with corn and refried beans on the side.
Finally, I reach my least-creative Taco Tuesday alternative. This one can easily be made vegetarian by leaving out the chicken, or vegan by eliminating the cheese. Again, this one looks complex but in actuality, is quite easy - although you may make a mess!
Fajitas and Frijoles
Feeds: Myself and Hungry Boyfriend comfortably
Cooking time: 20 - 30 minutes
Total Cost: $8.80
Ingredients:
Fajitas
- 1 large chicken breast, sliced into strips ($2.75 - $11.10/4 breasts)
- 1/2 large capsicum, sliced into strips (25c - 50c ea.)
- 1 packet Mexican seasoning ($1.55)
- 1/2 brown onion, chopped finely (35c)
- 1/2 packet tortillas (roughly $.150 - $3.17 for 1 packet)
Frijoles
- 1/2 tin refried beans ($1.35)
- 1/2 tin diced tomatoes (80 per tin - use the other half for salsa)
- 2 chillies, chopped finely (free - pot plant)
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely (15c)
Salsa (optional)
- 1/2 tin diced tomatoes (see above)
- 10 leaves basil/coriander/whatever herbs you have OR pinch of mixed herbs (free OR $2/250g)
- Squirt tomato sauce (5c)
- Squirt lemon juice (5c)
Method:
1. For Frijoles; With a little oil, gently fry garlic and chillies together until fragrant. If you're doing the vegetarian version, you'll want to add you Mexican seasoning here. If not, add the refried beans and tomatoes.
2. Stir well and leave to simmer gently.
3. For Fajitas; With a little oil, gently fry onion and chicken together until the chicken is white all over, but not yet cooked. Add the capsicum and Mexican seasoning with water as per instructions.
4. Continue to stir and fry until chicken is cooked through.
5. For Salsa; Mix all ingredients together.
6. Serve on warmed tortillas.
Sorry for the crappy photo, it's hard to make look good but it tastes amazing!
As you may have noticed, the secret to great Mexican is chillies. Guys, I cannot stress enough how beneficial it is growing your own herbs and chillies. Stuff like basil, mint, sage and chillies are expensive at the supermarkets and don't last long in your fridge. Yet, they're easy to grow (I should know, I've managed to kill a cactus once) and an inexpensive way to add flavour to your dinners. I'm sure all local markets have their share of seedlings, but West End Markets in Brisbane have stalls upon stalls of baby plants for $2 - $5. You've (almost) literally got nothing to lose!
Seedling - $2.50, Pot - $3 ea, Potting Mix - $4/25L
Having the freedom to add your own herbs to anything - Priceless
All the prices I've listed in this entry are based off Coles Smart Buys where available and the cheapest available option where Coles Smart Buys were not available :)Best of luck with the recipes!
Lots of love,
(broke) Masterchef Mel
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