Navajo Tacos / AKA Almost Copycat Taco Bell Chalupas

Have you ever tried Taco Bell's chalupas? I know it's probably uncool, but I have to confess that I love 'em. That's why they're here in the 30 Days of Family Favorite Recipes.

These babies, Navajo Tacos, remind me of them. They're a special treat and we don't have them often, but when we do....ahhhh....bliss!

They're pretty simple to make - so simple in fact, that my kids can make them, and often do when I need to study. If your kids are young you should probably do the cooking, but my youngest has been mixing and rolling these since she was six or seven.

Navajo Tacos

3 c small uncooked red beans

1 lb lean ground beef

1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 pkg chili seasoning mix

Chopped lettuce

Chopped tomato

Chopped onion

Grated cheddar cheese

Salsa or taco sauce

Soak beans in cold water for at least two hours or overnight. Drain beans and place them in a large pot with 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook, boiling steadily for one hour. Reduce heat and cook, covered, for two more hours. Beans are done when the skin peels back when you blow on them.

While beans are cooking, brown beef and crumble, about 20 minutes. Drain grease. Add tomato sauce and chili seasoning and simmer for an additional 10 minutes to blend flavors.

While mixture is simmering, prepare a double batch of fry bread. 

To serve, spoon bean mixture onto hot fry bread and top with any combination of lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, and salsa.

Indian Fry Bread

5 c flour

2 T baking powder

1 T melted butter

2 t salt

2 c milk

Oil for frying

          Mix dry ingredients. Stir in milk and butter a little at a time. Mix into soft dough but do not knead. Divide into golf ball sized portions and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. 

          Heat oil to medium heat. Oil will be up to temp when a small piece of bread dough sizzles when placed in oil. Fry til golden brown. Flip and fry on other side. Drain on paper towels. These can be kept hot in a 170 degree oven til ready to serve.

Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are awesome. They're messy and full of flavor and give you an excuse to lick your fingers at the dinner table. Those qualities alone should gain them a place on the 30 Family Favorites list.

My mother-in-law made this meal for her eight kids for years. I talked her out of the recipe. The rest is history.

These joes are the perfect balance of tangy with a touch of sweet, inexpensive to make, can be made ahead of time, can be frozen, and can hide healthy things. I've substituted cracked wheat cereal or 9-grain cereal for up to half of the meat without getting caught.

I did make some changes to her original recipe to fit my family's needs. I believe in the make it in a hurry method whenever possible. Life is busy. Kids have sports. Sometimes I forget to start dinner....sigh.

Sloppy Joes

2 lb hamburger

2 c catsup

1 T lemon juice

½ c chopped celery

¼ c chopped green pepper

1 onion, chopped

2 T vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

¾ T Worcestershire sauce

2 T brown sugar

¼ c water

½ T dry mustard (or less)

Brown meat and drain. Add all ingredients and let cook on low heat for one hour or longer until sauce becomes thick.

My In a Hurry Method: Brown and drain the hamburger. While meat is cooking, sauté the celery, peppers, and onion in 1 T butter until tender, then add to the meat. Add all remaining ingredients, but omit the water. Simmer for 10 -15 minutes.

Healthy variation: I have also substituted up to 2 cups of cooked 9-grain or cracked wheat cereal for half of the hamburger. This was usually left-overs from breakfast. Kids never knew the difference.

A Variation on Tacos

For the record, I made this for dinner tonight.

I burnt the hamburger while helping my daughter google primary sources of those who were aboard the Mayflower.

Then I dropped a glass bottle of jalepeno peppers while getting the cheese out of the fridge.

Then I got the whole blasted thing together and couldn't find the camera for your viewing pleasure.

Then I typed it all up and forgot to post it. So much for a post a day.

Move over Pioneer Woman. I am obviously stiff competition.

It still got devoured, by the way. I left to pick up daughter number two and came home to a pan that had been scraped clean. Just sayin', burnt and all.

My mom gave me this recipe several years ago. It's one of the few recipes that ALL of my kids eat without complaint, which puts it right up there in the solid gold department as far as I am concerned.

This is another recipe in the 30 Days of Family Friendly Recipes series. To see the rest, click here.

This one is pretty simple, can be made up ahead of time and baked just before dinner, and can easily be augmented to feed extra bodies that happen to stop by.

It's called Chili Stack - maybe because taco seasoning is made with chili powder? I contemplated changing the name to Taco Stack, but really, I couldn't do that to my kids. Chili Stack is family.

Chili Stack

2 lb hamburger

1/2 c onion, chopped fine (or 4 T dehydrated onion - I usually cheat and use dehydrated)

2/3 c taco seasoning (about 3 pkgs)

4 c water

8-16 oz shredded cheese 

8-10 flour tortillas

Brown hamburger and onion and drain grease. Add water and taco seasoning and simmer 10 minutes. Layer meat, cheese, tortilla, six times in a deep casserole dish. Top with meat and cheese. Pour any leftover sauce over the top. The sauce is juicy and soaks into the tortillas.

If you double the recipe, you can use a 9x13 pan. I often use extra tortillas and spread the meat and cheese a little thinner.

Cover and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Let set for 5 minutes for juice to soak in. Cut in squares to serve.