Shredded Beef Tacos With Easy Guacamole

Taco night is a favorite in our house because we can all customize our meal to our particular tastes.  I usually make a larger amount of the meat so we have leftovers for lunch or to freeze for a night when we don't have time to prepare a meal.  Having healthy meals ready to eat in the freezer is a great way to avoid having to eat out on the run on those busy days.

For the meat:

1 quart (32 oz) Organic Beef Broth
2 - 3 pounds of Petite Teres Major, Tri-Tip or London Broil*
    (*Full disclosure here - I prefer the Teres Major or Tri-Tip because they are a moister meat, however the day I cooked this and photographed it for the blog, my Whole Foods did not have grassfed Tri-Tip or Teres Major so the great folks at my local Whole Foods meat counter recommended I use London Broil.  IF you use London Broil, it is a very lean meat so stab it many times with a fork before cooking it so the moisture from the cooking broth cooks into the meat retaining moisture.)

Place the meat in a crock pot and cover with the beef broth.  Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.  When done, shred the meat using a fork.

After shredding the meat, add the following seasoning to the meat.  I usually make a large batch of this seasoning and keep it in a jar in my pantry and use a couple tablespoons at a time, or to taste. 

Seasoning Ingredients:

1 T ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

As you add the seasoning, add up to 3/4 cup of the broth used to cook the meat to moisten and distribute the seasoning throughout the meat.

Easy Guacamole:
1/2 small red onion, diced
4 ripe avocado, remove skin and seed
Salt and pepper to taste
3 - 4 T lime juice*
    *Did you know that instead of purchasing fresh limes, you can purchase 100% organic lime juice in a bottle?  It stays fresh in your refrigerator, tastes the same, and costs significantly less than purchasing fresh and is handy to have on hand when you need it.

Combine onion, avocado, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Use a potato masher to combine to your preferred texture.  TIP:  When storing leftover guacamole, keep it fresh by 1. placing plastic wrap directly on the guacamole so it keeps the air out and then covering the container with a lid, or 2. pour a thin layer of lime juice over the top of the guacamole to keep it from oxidizing.

Heat corn tortillas in a hot skillet until they start to blister or puff up.

For a quick dinner, serve the meat and guacamole with a fresh, store-bought salsa, and serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, and diced cilantro. 

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