National Taco Day: 3 Recipes With A Healthy Twist To Enjoy The Mexican Staple Without Guilt

We all love tacos so much that last year Americans ate over 4.5 billion tacos. That’s about 490,000 miles of tacos, which could take you to the moon and back, or 775 million pounds, the weight of two Empire State Buildings. As we know, a taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. It can be made with a variety of fillings such as beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetables, and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety.

A taco is generally eaten without utensils and is often accompanied by garnishes such as salsa or chili pepper, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, tomatoes, onions and lettuce. This October 4 we celebrate National Taco Day, a perfect day to consider the countless variations you can create using traditional meats or seafood, chicken, beans, cheese and even eggs. Registered Dietician Christy Wilson suggests to double the vegetables in your recipes to make them healthier.

Cutting up crunchy vegetable sticks like jicama, carrots and cucumbers make for an easy side and are perfect for snacking instead of using chips, and if you want more spice and extra veggies, add tomato, red pepper, mushrooms onion and lime juice. That should make them extra flavorful! Here are 3 recipes you can try today that are heathier for you but still very delicious!

Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeño Tartar Sauce:

Ingredients

1 medium red onion

1/2 cup Hellmann's or Best Foods Light Mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. lime juice, divided

2 Tbsp. finely chopped pickled jalapeño pepper juice

2 tsp. Knorr Chicken flavor Bouillon

1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chile pepper

4 slices fresh pineapple (about 1/2-inch-thick)

1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

12 flour tortillas o corn tortillas, warmed

Directions

Cut 1/2-inch off stem end of onion and finely chop to make 1 tablespoon. Cut remaining onion crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; set aside.

Combine chopped onion, 6 tablespoons Hellmann's or Best Foods Light Mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon lime juice and jalapeno peppers in medium bowl; set aside.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lime juice, Knorr Chicken flavor Bouillon and chipotle chile pepper in medium bowl. Coat onion and pineapple with 1/2 of the chipotle mixture, then coat shrimp with remaining mixture. Grill or broil until pineapple and onion are tender and shrimp turn pink. Chop onion and pineapple.

Serve shrimp, onion and pineapple in tortillas and top with jalapeno tartar sauce. Garnish, if desired, with chopped cilantro.

Classic Steak Tacos:

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. Knorr Beef flavor Bouillon

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 lbs. flank steak

8 corn tortillas

1 white onion, chopped

4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Directions

Combine Knorr Beef flavor Bouillon, olive oil and black pepper in small bowl. Coat steak with Bouillon mixture and grill until desired doneness, about 8 minutes.

Slice steak and serve in tortillas with chopped onion, cilantro and lime wedges.

Pistachio-Crusted Fish Tacos:

Ingredients

½ cup shelled Wonderful Pistachios Roasted & Salted, finely chopped

4 medium tilapia filets

1 egg white

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs

4 teaspoons melted butter

12 corn tortillas

2 avocados, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

¼ head purple cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch cilantro

1 lime

Sour cream

Peppers

Salt

Drizzle of butter

Preparation

Heat oven to 450°F. Cover an 11x17” baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place egg white in a shallow bowl. Then, in another shallow bowl combine the pistachios, bread crumbs, pepper, and salt.

Dip fish in egg white, then pistachio mixture. Place fish on baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with butter.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Once fish cools slightly, divide evenly among tortillas, topping with avocados, tomatoes, cabbage, cilantro, a dollop of sour cream, and a squeeze of lime juice.