Tacos are a staple of Mexican food. Those of us who love to eat Mexican food regularly include tacos in our weekly menus. Sometimes it is nice to keep concept and vary the theme so that every taco night isn’t exactly the same. These twists on taco night will keep you and your dining companions interested and hungry for more.

Navajo Fry Bread Recipe

(Adapted from MelindaLee.com)

Tortillas aren’t the only traditional “container” for tacos. Navajo fry bread is a great taco alternative to hard taco shells.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of flour
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 8 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup or more of warm water
• Vegetable oil
• Additional flour

Lightly flour a cutting board or clean surface to work your dough.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Form a hole in the middle of the mixture and pour in 1 cup of water. Mix the ingredients together using a large spoon to make the dough. You may have to add more water to make the dough work. Don’t use an electric mixer.

When ready, place your dough on the floured surface and knead until the dough is pliable and soft. This may take a few minutes.

When the dough is ready, divide it into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. If your working surface is getting sticky, dust the surface again with flour for a light cover. Roll each ball out until with a rolling pin until you have a circle about 1/4 inch thick.

Pour 2 -3 inches of vegetable oil into a heavy frying pan. When the oil is hot, fry the bread one piece at a time, turning when the bread reaches a golden color. When you remove the bread from the pan it should be gold on each side and puffy.

Drain your Navajo fry bread on paper towels.

This bread is best when made into tacos as soon as possible. If you need to make a larger quantity of fry bread, you can make it in advance and wrap the bread in foil and place the package in the oven until the bread is warm again.

Taquitos

Taquitos are meats rolled in tortillas and fried. Typically, taquitos are dipped in guacamole and sprinkled with grated cheese like cheddar cheese before eating. Taquitos can be made using leftover meat from another meal or using meat that has been freshly cooked.

Ingredients:

• Cooked, shredded pork, chicken, beef or ground beef
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped onions per pound of meat
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder per pound of meat or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin per pound of meat
• 3/4 teaspoon chili powder per pound of meat
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano per pound of meat
• 3/4 cup of water or broth per pound of meat
• 2 teaspoons of flour per pound of meat
• Corn tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• Guacamole
• Vegetable Oil

Sautee the chopped onions in vegetable oil in a saucepan until the onions are soft. Add the cooked meat, water or broth, flour and spices and simmer for about 5 minutes until the meat mixture is thick and hot, stirring occasionally.

While the meat and spices are simmering, warm the tortillas in the microwave.

Pour about an inch of vegetable oil into a heavy skillet and heat until the oil sizzles when spattered with water. Pour a couple tablespoons of the meat mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll the tortilla closed. Use toothpicks to keep the tortillas from unraveling.

Fry the taquitos in the hot oil until the taquitos are a golden brown. You may have to adjust the heat so that the taquitos cook to your desired degree of crispness.

Serve hot with guacamole and shredded cheese.

Fish Tacos Recipe

If you like fish, you will love fish tacos. You can prepare your fish in a number of different ways for your tacos, such as:

• Beer battered fried cod or haddock
• Pan-fried red snapper
• Grilled salmon
• Grilled sea bass

Serve in warm corn tortillas with your favorite toppings, such as:

• Fresh salsa
• Sour cream or Crema Mexicana
• Chopped cabbage (warm or cold)
• Lime juice

Crema Mexicana

Crema Mexicana is a cream sauce that you can use with your fish tacos. It consists of two ingredients; heavy whipping cream and sour cream. Crema Mexican needs time to thicken, so plan accordingly.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream at room temperature

Pour the whipping cream into a sauce pan and heat slightly until the cream is slightly warmer than room temperature. Mix in the sour cream after removing the whipping cream from the heat.

Pour the mixture into a clean glass jar and cover the top of the jar with the lid, leaving the lid loose. Keep the jar in a warm room or oven for 4 to 12 hours. For an even thicker cream, refrigerate for another 4 to 12 hours.

If you like, you can add fresh chopped cilantro, chopped dill or the juice of a lime to your crema before serving.

Top Your Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

If you want your cabbage to be a little tastier, you can toss chopped cabbage with equal parts of seasoned rice vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to coat. For even more pizzazz, add some chopped red onion, red bell peppers and green bell peppers along with freshly ground pepper. You can use this as an ingredient in your fish tacos or as a side dish for your other tacos and taquitos.

Enjoy your new and improved taco nights!