Beef Tacos with Avocado Cucumber Mango Salsa

Homemade grilled tacos. Quick-grilled beef on warm tacos with a bright salsa.

During the summer, it seems that getting supper on the table is more about "quick assembly" than real cooking. Oh sure, we might have to cook one thing or another, but only as a contribution to the supper assembly line. Salads. Cold suppers. Meat from the grill. Ahhh, the ease that summer delivers.

This taco supper was quick and easy and decidedly tasty. It offers a million riffs: pork or chicken rather than beef. Red cabbage or lettuce instead of Napa cabbage. A whole new set of salsa ingredients. And those are just the "obvious" changes. Ah, the ease that summer delivers.

ALANNA's TIPS There's enough meat to fill eight tacos. The whole wheat tortillas were especially good when warmed through on the grill. Yum.

BEEF TACOS is adapted from The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger. My friend Linda sent a copy of this new cookbook home with me awhile back, promising, "You'll like it." Ha! Not only do I like it, it's the one cookbook I wish had my name on the cover! The ingredient lists are short, it's full of health-conscious ingredients, it calls for fresh ingredients, it doesn't sacrifice flavor for health. I've returned Linda's copy but now have my own. Look for more recipes. It's a winner.

Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Send a favorite recipe to recipes@kitchen-parade.com.

Never miss a Kitchen Parade recipe: Sign up for a free e-mail subscription.

How to print a recipe on Kitchen Parade.

If you like Kitchen Parade, forward this recipe to a friend who might too!

QUICK SUPPER:
BEEF TACOS with AVOCADO CUCUMBER MANGO SALSA

Some assembly required

Hands-on time: 35 minutes
Time-to-table: 45 minutes (faster if there's an inside chopper and an outside griller)
Enough for 4 or 8 tacos

MEAT

• 1 pound flank steak or sirloin steak
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Salt to taste

SALSA

• 1 ripe avocado, chopped
• 1/2 an English cucumber, chopped
• 1 fresh mango, cubed
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped red pepper
• Juice of a lime
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt to taste

FIXIN'S

• Napa cabbage, chopped thin
• Whole wheat tortillas, warmed on the grill for a minute or two

MEAT Rub the meat on both sides with the garlic, spices and salt. Cook on the grill until done, about 7 minutes a side. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice thin.

SALSA Combine all ingredients. If making ahead, add the avocado just before serving so that it doesn't turn mushy.

ASSEMBLY (see?) Top each tortilla with Napa cabbage, then beef slices, then salsa.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE (not including tortillas since they vary so widely)

Per Serving, with 4 Servings: 345Cal; 34g Protein; 17g Tot Fat; 5g Sat Fat; 17g Carb; 6g Fiber; 94mg Sodium; 62mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 7 points

Per Serving, with 8 Servings: 173Cal; 17g Protein; 8g Tot Fat; 2g Sat Fat; 8g Carb; 3g Fiber; 47mg Sodium; 31mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

---

Hot Off the Grill

(hover for a description, click a photo for a recipe)

~ more recipes for the grill ~

~ more quick supper recipes ~

© Copyright 2008 Kitchen Parade