Beef and Black Bean Soft Tacos with a Creamy Avocado Dip

The last few days have been a whirlwind--and my poor husband has seen the effects of my busy week. The past couple of meals I've made were less than stellar, and yesterday was just a Chick-fil-a kind of day. But after a good night's sleep (and a couple of Zyrtec), I was actually excited about cooking supper tonight. The only problem: nothing was defrosted. So I ran some frozen hamburger meat under hot water for a quick defrost and decided to fix soft tacos.

     Beef and Black Bean Soft Tacos with a Creamy Avocado Dip

Nutritional Information
(for 2 soft tacos, about 2 tablespoonsful avocado dip, and 5 chips)
   Calories:               681
   Fat:                       21.6g
       Saturated Fat:   5.4g
   Cholesterol:          32.4mg
   Sodium:                1289 mg
   Carbohydrates      47g
        Fiber:               9.7g
        Sugars:             4.5g
   Protein:                 17.7g

Ingredients:

-1/2 lb ground chuck
-1 cup uncooked brown rice (I used Minute brand, but any brown rice will do)
-1 medium yellow or white onion, diced
-1 can black beans, drained
-1 small can tomato paste (not pictured)
-water
-Flour tortillas*
-Shredded Colby-jack cheese, to garnish (1 used about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon per soft taco)
-Shredded lettuce, if desired (not pictured)
-2 ripe avocados
-Lime juice
-Onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper
-1 tablespoon Greek yogurt (not necessary, but it makes the dip a little creamier)
*For a lighter option, use corn tortillas (or none at all) instead of flour, and substitute one of the avocados with 1/4 cup Greek yogurt

Cook your rice according to package directions, then heat a large skillet on medium high heat. Cook your hamburger meat for a few minutes, breaking the meat up while it cooks.

Once the meat starts to brown, add about 3/4 of your diced onion, and sautee for a few more minutes, until the meat is completely browned and the onion is semi-translucent.

Add your drained can of black beans and couple shakes of garlic powder, and stir until combined.

Add your rice, and your can of tomato paste, then fill the empty tomato paste with water and pour in with everything else.

Mix everything up, and let it simmer on low while you mix up the avocado dip.

For the dip, just mash up the flesh of 2 avocados, 1/4 of your diced onion, a few shakes of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, about a tablespoon of Greek yogurt, and a dash of lime juice.

Then just spoon your ground beef mixture in your tortillas, top with cheese and lettuce, and serve with the avocado dip and a few chips.

This is a quick, delicious recipe that was very filling--and it made enough filling for FOURTEEN soft tacos, so there are plenty of delicious leftovers. Enjoy!