South American Taco Meat...AKA "Shaw"

This recipe was given to me by a sweet friend, Stacy Shaw.  It quickly became a family favorite for us.  These are BEST served in a homemade corn tortilla (masa).  But you can use any tortilla shell you like.

This meat can be used in many ways, I have listed some favorites at the bottom of the post.

Meat:

1 lb lean ground beef
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 a Medium Sweet Yellow Onion, finely chopped
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 good size lime
1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
Low Salt Soy Sauce (about 1/2 cup)
Tabasco (or Texas Pete) Hot Sauce (to your liking)
Large handful of chopped fresh Cilantro

In a good size pot, heat a bit of olive oil over med-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft. Add beef and brown, stirring to crumble. When meat is almost cooked through, sqeeze lime juice over meat. Add Chili Powder, Soy Sauce and Hot Sauce (I like it a bit spicy!). Reduce heat and cover lightly. Simmer until ready to serve. Just before serving, toss in fresh chopped Cilantro and stir lightly.

Salsa:
1 bell pepper
1 onion
1 tomato
Handful of chopped cilantro

Dice first three ingredients, mix in a bowl and stir in the cilantro.

To serve, fill a tortilla with beef mixture, top with salsa and squeeze on some lime juice.  Enjoy!

Serving Options:

• Traditional South American Tacos require a bit of time to make the tortillas. It is a FANTASTIC dish and well worth the time and effort - I have never met anyone who doesn't like it. 
• A quick and easy lunch that I like to make with leftover "Shaw" meat is to take a burrito size flour tortilla, place a small pile of pre-warmed meat in center, top with shredded cheese. Fold in sides of tortilla, and then bottom and top to make a "pocket". Heat a saute pan with a little butter over med heat. Add your burritto and brown on both sides to make little crispy and melt the cheese. These are a yummo lunch snack!
• I love to use the leftover meat on homeade pizza crust. I call it "Taco Pizza" and top it with leftover salsa, or just chopped onions, tomatoes and bell peppers. It's fantastic!

A quick and easy option is to use it like taco meat and serve in soft or hard shells as you usually would.

Grab some Hot Sauce and get cookin'!