Double Decker Tacos

Lately I've been rather uninspired in the kitchen...I've been making lots of comfort foods, which, unavoidably are...well...they're ugly! lol  Seriously, have you ever seen a pretty meatloaf?  Or a gorgeous plate of beef stroganoff?  Yeah.  Me either.  This too, is a favorite comfort food---any kind of Tex-Mex sort of food is...all that spicy goodness.  Yum!  This is an idea that originated in my hometown---a place called, "Taco John's" (hahaha) made them, and we'd go for "Taco Tuesday" and have double decker tacos with chips and salsa....they were pretty bad I'll have to admit, but the fun of it stayed with me, and so did the concept of the double decker.  Now I make my own version at home, fairly frecuently...usually at least once every 2 weeks or so. 

double decker taco

The Recipe is really easy, these come together in about 30 minutes, even with homemade beans and guacamole.

Ingredients (for 6 people):

1 large onion, minced

3-4 cloves garlic, minced (or more)

2 lbs ground beef

1 can pinto beans

salt and pepper to taste

chili powder (about 1/4 cup, divided)

2 tablespoons cumin powder

1 teaspoon of oregano

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1/2 teaspoon of basil

1 cup water

12 corn taco shells

12 flour tortillas (small)

Taco toppings: grated cheese, chopped lettuce, tomato, red onion, sour cream, guacamole

Preparation:

Sautee the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil until golden (they should be actually starting to brown).

Reserve about 1/4 cup of the onions/garlic for the beans.

Brown ground beef with the remaining onions and garlic and drain off excess fat.

Season with salt, pepper, chili powder to taste, cumin and herbs and add about a cup of water.

Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a food processor, process beans (mostly drained) with the onions/garlic, salt and pepper to taste and about 2 tablespoons of chili powder until mostly smooth.

Adjust seasonings to taste.

Assemble tacos:

Place a flour tortilla on a plate and spread with beans.

Place a corn tortilla in the center and then add meat, and taco toppings to taste.

Fold up and enjoy!

I like to serve this with chips and guacamole.