Navajo Tacos with Sourdough Fry Bread

I love finding new ways to use my sourdough starter. When Joe mentioned that it had been awhile since we had Navajo Tacos, I decided that it was time to play with the Fry Bread recipe that is the basis of these tacos. Have you ever had a Navajo Taco?

The Fry Bread is the ‘taco shell’. It is a wonderfully puffy little pastry that is placed on the the plate (either whole or torn into pieces) and that is topped with a delicious chili like sauce and then piled high with your favorite toppings such as lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes salsa, sour cream, onions, etc. I started making these a couple of years ago after finding this tutorial. They were an instant hit. Navajo Tacos have been a great item to adapt to our real food diet.

The Chili

1/4 to 1 pound of ground beef (I use grass fed and usually 1/2 pound)
Coconut oil (if needed)
1 onion- diced
1 clove garlic-minced
2-3 cups of cooked pinto beans with juice
1 can tomato paste
1/2 to 1 cup beef broth (or water)
salt and pepper

In a cast iron skillet, cook the beef and 1/2 of the onion (reserve the other half for taco topping). Sometimes I need to add coconut oil to this get the onion to cook right. When beef is done add the garlic, beans, tomato paste and 1/2 cup broth. Let this mixture simmer for 30 minutes or so while you cook the fry bread adding additional broth as needed. You will want the chili to be on the saucy side. The fry bread will soak up the sauce and be amazingly delicious.

Sourdough Fry Bread

This is a picture I found on the internet of fry bread (since I forgot to take one myself) Yours should look similar but if you use whole wheat flour it will be darker and I never make mine this big.

 

To Assemble

 

Put the fry bread on your plate. Add a ladle full (more or less) of the chili. Top with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, sour cream or anything else that you enjoy on your tacos.

Navajo Taco (photo source)

 

Yum! These are so delicious and fairly simple meal to make. As a bonus, any leftover fry bread makes a sweet treat when drizzled with or dipped in honey. They reheat very good in the oven and fairly well in the skillet or a toaster. We’ve been known to have them for breakfast topped with butter and cinnamon sugar or apple butter. Fry bread is very versatile. Sourdough Fry Bread is amazing.

 

This post is a contribution to Real Food Wednesday hosted this week by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.