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For Electric Cooperative Members

Texas cooks are pretty talented at stretching their food budgets with creative and yummy recipes. Contest entries made good use of common pantry staples and leftovers, and many included a Mexican flair. On paper, the winning recipe raised a few eyebrows among the judges, but the crunchy and unique Tasty Tuna Tacos reigned supreme in the voting.

1 box taco shells, 12 count
2 cans (6 ounces each) chunk light tuna in water
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow bell pepper
1 bunch fresh cilantro (rinsed, dried, stems removed)
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (half of 1 large lime)
2 cups thick and chunky mild salsa
8 ounces grated Monterey or pepper jack cheese
1 can (4 ounces) sliced ripe olives

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and arrange taco shells in single layer. Warm for 5 to 7 minutes.
For filling, drain and chop tuna and place in medium-sized bowl. Add onions, peppers, cilantro and carrot. Add lime juice to tuna mixture. Thoroughly mix all ingredients using large mixing spoon.
Remove taco shells from oven and add a quarter to a third of a cup of filling mixture to each taco shell. Follow with 2 tablespoons salsa and 2 tablespoons grated cheese. Garnish with 10 to 12 black olive slices. Serve immediately.

Serving size: 1 taco. Per serving: 256 calories, 14.5 g protein, 12.2 g fat, 20.5 g carbohydrates, 2.3 g fiber, 562 mg sodium, 28 mg cholesterol

Mollie Hejl, Pedernales Electric Cooperative