Recipe 1 - Gameday Tacos with Crunch

Welcome to Carson’s College Eats, your go-to spot for all things cooking while in college. My goal is to be your right-hand man in getting you off the ground at the beginning of your cooking journey.

Today’s blog will present our first recipe - crunchwrap tacos. Who doesn’t love a good taco? We will review everything that goes into making this gameday recipe, including what to buy, set up and then execution of this simple but classic college staple. While many prefer simply a soft or hard shell/wrap, I like to take it to the next level and combine the two. That way, you get the softness of a burrito with the crunchiness of a food truck-enthused taco.

What To Buy

Planning ahead and having a comprehensive list to check while roaming around the grocery store is decisive to the success of this recipe. You don’t want to get to Sunday and realize you forgot the taco shells or sour cream.

The first and most important item is your protein. When making tacos, I go with the classic ground beef. You can mess around with ground turkey, chicken, pork or even shrimp, but in my eyes, a true gameday taco has ground beef. For this recipe, a pound of lean ground beef should do the trick. Depending on how much you’re willing to spend, you can select how lean you want your ground beef to be. It ranges from regular (70% lean) to extra lean (90% lean). The only difference you’ll generally notice is the amount of grease you’ll have to drain once your beef is done cooking. Due to my propensity for saving, I typically go with 80%, known as simply lean. A pound of lean should cost about $5-6.

Next up is the wrap. Whether you’re going soft shell, hard shell or both, you’ll need to find something to hold it all together. For this recipe, I’d recommend going with small wraps, either whole wheat or white. A pack of 8 should cost about $2.50-4.00. To take a soft taco/burrito to a crunch wrap, you need to then head to the taco aisle and find the tostadas. While you can also use a hardshell taco, these will generally crumble when you try to wrap it all together. A flat tostada is the play here. A pack of 12 should cost about $2-3.

Now that the basics have been established, the rest is left to personal preference. Whatever toppings pique your desire is what you should include. The world is your… taco. For me, I generally go with shredded cheese and then simply condiments. However, if you are more of a vegetable person, you might want to add shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, corn, etc. For condiments, I’ve adhered to the same mix I grew up with when my parents would do a taco night - sour cream, taco sauce and guacamole. Salsa is a popular one, but I’ve always preferred the smoothness of taco sauce to the chunkiness of salsa. I’ll leave that to you to play around with and find the ideal mix. While I generally keep things such as shredded cheese and sour cream in the fridge, this is the approximate cost of my taco toppings:

•Shredded Cheese: $2.29

•Sour Cream: $1.29

•Taco Sauce: $1.99

•Guacamole: $4.29

After you’re shopping trip, you can either freeze your might or simply refrigerate your beef. Unless you plan to make this recipe within 2-3 days of purchase, I’d advise to freeze. If you have a horrendous memory like myself, I set a reminder to move the meat to the fridge about 30 hours before cooking.

To start every recipe, you’re going to take out all you’re ingredients and have them set out for use.

The first and really only step in the cooking process is to brown your beef. Dump the beef into a greased pan (spray a little PAM or oil). Let it heat up on medium for about thirty seconds, and then start breaking the mound up into small chunks. I typically wait for the beef to begin browning before adding spices. I’ll let you pick your own spices, as I generally just throw in whatever I’m feeling. Two constants are always chilli powder and Jamaican jerk seasoning, but everything else is left up to chance.

NOT READY

READY

While the beef is browning, you can start arranging your crunch wraps and toppings. Lay out your wraps and place the tostada in the middle. Spread your condiments out, add your toppings and have the crunch wraps ready for the beef. While the beef is browning, you can start arranging your crunch wraps and toppings. Lay out your wraps and place the tostada in the middle. Spread your condiments out, add your toppings and have the crunch wraps ready for the beef.

While the beef is browning, you can start arranging your crunch wraps and toppings. Lay out your wraps and place the tostada in the middle. Spread your condiments out, add your toppings and have the crunch wraps ready for the beef.

Ground beef is one of the only meat dishes where a meat thermometer isn’t really necessary. Once the beef is free from pink spots, it’s ready. Drain the beef using a paper towel and get ready to transfer it into your crunch wraps. Wrap each, being careful not to crush the tostada.

At this point, you can either eat it as is or toast or grill it. I generally like to do so in order to get that golden brown exterior and melted interior. I butter a separate pan, let it heat for a minute or two and then add the folded wrap. I flip it once or twice, making sure it's getting some of that brown colour before serving.

Now, all there is to do is sit down, turn on the game and reap the benefits of your work!