Taco Tuesday: Turkey Tacos Picadillo

So, I had this crazy thought the other day about Taco Tuesday posts...that perhaps, just maybe, I should be posting them to the blog on Tuesdays. What do you all think? I mean, I realize that I make tacos on Tuesday at my house, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't make the post title coincide with the day it represents, right? So, starting today, Taco Tuesday posts will actually be on Tuesday. You're welcome :-)

And stay tuned in March for an additional theme day to debut as well.

I hope you all had a great weekend and that your week has started off well. Mine hasn't had quite the start that I expected. It seems that in light of all the excitement and traveling that is coming up starting this week, that my body has gone into overdrive and mother nature decided to bless me with my very first migraine headache (or tension headache, I'm not quite sure.) Anywho...whatever it was, it kept me pretty much flat on my back all of Sunday and Monday. I'm one of the lucky few that I know that doesn't have any allergies, rarely gets sick, and rarely even gets a headache, so this was by far some of the worst pain I have had to experience. I rarely call into work, so missing on Monday due to a headache was hard for me to swallow. However, I'm happy to report that as of today, Tuesday, I am alive and well, and without excruciating head pains.

Sunday was going to be a big cooking/baking day for me, but of course that did not go as planned. I guess sometimes life steps in and tells you to slow down when you are pushing too hard for too long. I'm hopeful that this was an isolated incident and that these horrific headaches will not become a regular part of my life. I still have a few great recipes to share with you this week despite the setback, so keep an eye out for those!

As for these tacos...they were amazing! I'm really growing to love adding diced tomatoes and green chiles to my taco mixtures, and this was a very flavorful turkey taco. I made a couple of small changes from the original, but nothing drastic. Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Turkey Tacos Picadillo
Source: Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons corn oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped canned tomatoes with green chiles 
• 3/4 pound ground turkey
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 12 prepared taco shells
• 1/4 head romaine or iceberg, thinly sliced
• 1 to 2 avocados, diced
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• Sour cream, for garnish

Preparation

1. Put the oil, onions, garlic, jalapeno, and spices in a medium skillet, season with salt and cook over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the tomatoes and boil to thicken, about 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the turkey and chicken broth, adjust the heat so the mixture simmers and cook until the turkey is cooked through and the mixture thickens but is not dry, about 12 minutes.
4. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and cover.
5. Assemble tacos with turkey mixture, topped with lettuce, avocado, sour cream, and cheese.