Mushroom Tacos

Sometimes my meal planning depends on what was on sale or what needs to be used up in my fridge. In this case it was a little of both. Mushrooms were super cheap at the grocery store and I bought 5 boxes so I had to figure out how to use some up.

Mushrooms really eat like meat. They are a good meat substitute and low calorie, too. My brother LOVES them. . . oh wait, no. . .he would rather eat a dirty sock than a mushroom. His wife loves them, though. So you know he has eaten his fair share of hidden fungus in the past 10+ years! (Forget you read that and stop scouring your oatmeal for mushrooms, J!)

Tim and I both love mushrooms. (Whew!) We eat them all the time. Interestingly enough, neither of us really likes them raw though. Go figure.

Crystal Hot Sauce. My favorite. Good on lots of stuff. Eggs, salad, even tacos. (Yes, I said salad.) I got hooked on this hot sauce when I lived in Florida. For years after moving back to the north I had to carefully smuggle it home in my suitcase whenever we visited FL. Or I had to have friends risk their luggage to smuggle the glass bottles home to me. Thank goodness we never had a bottle break. That would have been a mess. It was bad enough when a bottle of white wine broke. . .in Tim’s suitcase. Mmmmm, wine smelling boxer shorts!

Recently, however, I have found Crystal a couple places close to home. I was so happy. No more risking Tim’s wardrobe.  I am never without a bottle. It really isn’t even very spicy. More of a tang. Addicting none the less and a must on these tacos.

These are my most recent favorite tortilla shells. Apparently, I am one of those odd balls smart folks that actually enjoys the whole grain, high fiber tortillas, pastas, rices, breads, etc. And they are so, so, so good for you to boot. So much better for your health (and waistline) than all that over processed white flour. I recommend them.

You can top these tacos with whatever you like. Cheese, onion, salsa, lettuce, etc. I used my favorites. . .avocados and tomatoes. Have I mentioned I LOVE avocados? So creamy and fresh. (Plus a great healthy fat.) A sprinkle of cheese and a dollop of greek yogurt. . .plus the Crystal Hot Sauce, of course. . .and these are done. A wonderful and low fat dinner. Wanna come for dinner, J? 🙂

We are so serious about our mushrooms that Tim is growing his own oyster mushrooms right now! I got them for him (and my sister-in-law) for christmas. It is a totally self contained growing kit. Pop open the front, slit the plastic, moisten, and within a few weeks you can harvest your own mushrooms. Very cool. . and sort of alien and scary!

Mushroom Taco Filling

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup diced onion

2 8oz packages of sliced mushrooms, finely minced

2-3 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Taco topping of your choice

Tortillas of your choice

In a large pan heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic. Cook a few minutes and add the mushrooms. Over a medium heat cook, stirring occassionally, for about 20 minutes. Add all the spices and salt and pepper. Stir well.

Serve the filling just as you would meat in tacos or burritos.