SESAME GARLIC BEEF TACOS

~ Better Homes and Gardens magazine - March 2015

TACOS
8 white or yellow corn tortillas
1 lb. ground beef
2 T. toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 T. packed brown sugar
3 T. rice vinegar
1 T. water
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
quick pickled cucumbers and slaw (see below)
lime wedges (optional)

QUICK PICKLED CUCUMBERS & SLAW
1/4 c. vinegar
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1 c. very thinly sliced cucumber
1 c. shredded red cabbage

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stack tortillas and wrap in foil. Heat in oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown beef over medium-high. Drain fat, then remove beef from pan and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium, then add sesame oil and garlic to skillet. Cook 30 seconds or until garlic is lightly browned. Stir in soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, water, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return beef to skillet until heated through.

To make slaw, whisk vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl.  Add cucumber and cabbage, then let stand at least 15 minutes and up to 6 hours.

T serve tacos, spoon seasoned beef onto warm tortillas. Use a slotted spoon to top beef with pickled cucumbers and slaw. Garnish with lime wedge.

Notes: Our corn tortillas fall apart, even when warmed, but it still tastes good. You could serve this with rice instead of tortillas, though, if you want something less messy and more convenient, or just eat it all with a fork like we do. We use bottled lime juice because we always have it on hand. If you like this, then you may also like Korean beef and rice. It has a similar ingredient list for seasoning the beef, but skips the veggie topping.