Greek Tacos

I may not be from Greece, but I can say the Greek alphabet. Does that count? For something other than geeky bragging rights?

No. No it doesn't, really.

Regardless, I can also throw together one mighty fine bona fide au-then-tic Greek meal. "Greek meal" code for "a pound of ground meat sprinkled with some past-due spices."

I kick it up another notch though. I put all that tasty Greek-like meat INTO. A. TACO.

A taco!

Take that, Greek goddess of hearth and home!

I suppose you'd call that brilliant fusion of food, "Grexican." Ha! I crack myself up.

All right, all right. Enough doofin' around. I should probably get to that recipe, huh?

As usual, I'll give you the original, fancified version first. It's the one that looks nice and would serve well to company. But after that you'll get the Lazy Cheapskate Mom version, which gets fixed far more often than the first. Just keepin' it real, people.

Greek Tacos

1 pound ground turkey or beef

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups fresh baby spinach, cut up a bit

1 can (2.25 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 package (12 ct) taco shells

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup chopped red onion

In a large skillet, cook meat over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, seasonings, garlic and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 8-10 minutes or until thickened. Add spinach and olives; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. [Optional: Place taco shells on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 3-5 minutes or until heated through.] Spoon about 1/4 cup meat mixture into each shell. Top with feta cheese and onion. 4 servings.

Lazy version: I brown the meat and add the tomatoes, spinach, and seasonings as stated above (well, minus the fresh garlic). I skip the whole taco shell thing and simply spoon some meat onto everyone's plate. Then I top with whatever cheese I have on hand (cheddar for the kids, pepperjack for me) because I'm too cheap to buy feta. If I remember, I'll throw olives and onion on top for those who like 'em. Then I toss a bag of tortilla chips on the table and say, "getcher buns to the table it's time to eat!" "bon appetit!" And in case you're wondering, we use the chips in place of the taco shells. It works.

Other notes: The seasoned meat and toppings are also good when served over brown rice. And if you aren't crazy about raw onion, it can be sauteed with the meat instead.

For more recipes, head over to Ann's Food on Fridays and the Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap.

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