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Spicing up Taco Tuesdays

“Tuesday is taco night at my house, which I love, but I get bored with the same ground beef variations. How can I mix things up?” —Trevor, Little Chute

Let’s consider several alternatives to ground beef for “Taco Tuesday” including other ground meats, whole muscle cuts, fish and other seafoods, and meatless variations. As an alternative to ground beef, other possibilities that are readily available in most retail markets include ground pork, ground turkey and ground chicken. For a completely different texture, consider using whole muscle cuts. These could be prepared the day of your meal or done in advance as planned leftovers. Suggestions include shredded, pulled or fajita-style strips using several different muscles that are cooked until tender. Fish tacos are typically prepared from grillable fishes like mahi mahi, salmon and tuna, but could also include white-fleshed fishes like haddock, cod and tilapia. Grilled or sautéed shrimp, scallops or surimi crab make awesome tacos as well. Meatless variations based around refried beans, black beans, garbanzo beans or chili beans can provide a great starting point and can be garnished in almost any manner. Change up the typical toppings to include a different variety of cheeses, sauces and condiments like homemade guacamole and pico de gallo and your taco night will take on a substantially different appearance!

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