Recipe: Thai Beef Tacos

Those people who say to make a list before going to the store are right.   The weeks where I look at recipes in advance, plan at least a few meals, and buy the right ingredients are the weeks when my sister and I eat well.  The rest of the time?  It's cereal, cheese and crackers, or name that leftover.   The original recipe came from the April 2007 issue of Cooking Light.

A quick note about ginger:  I don't buy it very often and I was tempted by the ease of jarred pickled ginger, like what you would get with sushi.  However, a small piece of real ginger root is significantly cheaper - and has a great flavor of its own. 

Here's my modified version - it went perfectly with the semi-finals of America's Got Talent.

Beef:

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili paste (I can't even read the label because it's all in Korean and I bought it at the H-mart)

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced bottled garlic

1 pound sliced beef for stir fry

Slaw:

1/4 cup bottled lime juice (although I did squeeze the half lime left over from margaritas into the measuring cup first)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

2 teaspoons minced bottled garlic

12 oz bag of broccoli slaw from the produce section of the grocery store

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas  (they were on sale - I warmed them in a skillet before serving)

Combine all beef ingredients and put in a ziploc bag and marinate for 20 minutes in the fridge, turning occasionally.    Saute beef in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray until browned on the outside (a little pink on the inside is fine - or cook until browned all the way through).   To make the slaw combine all ingredients and toss until well combined.   Divide the beef up and top with slaw.  Serve with a lime wedge.