Turkey Tacos

I am really excited that people are interested in trying my recipes mainly because I love food and I love to cook!  This is one of my favorite recipes so I am very happy to share!  I have a favorite rice and bean mixture that I pair these low fat turkey tacos with and I think it completes the meal (see below pic).  This is cheating because we live a low sodium diet (or at least try to) and this rice is high in sodium, but everything in moderation right? Also the rice is not made from scratch (which I prefer to do since I know what I am eating) but this is 2013 so sometimes you have to save yourself some time! 

Ingredients: *these are estimates since I do not measure.. but will work on getting more accurate

Seasoning Mix
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust for your spice level)
1 1/2 tablespoon of cumin 
1 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 
1/4 teaspoon oregano (or Italian seasoning.. I switch it up)
1 1/2 tablespoon of brown sugar

Rice we like, VIGO! 

pinch of paprika 
pinch of ground cloves
pinch of salt

Turkey Meat
1 lb ground turkey
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro 
1/2-1 cup water

Toppings
whatever you like--see pic for ideas :)

Turkey Tacos! 

Directions:
First, I like to mix the entire list of seasonings together and then set aside, this allows me to be able to chop up the taco toppings when browning the turkey.  Meanwhile preheat oven for hard shell tacos (around 350 deg), we like hard shell the best for this type of meat.  In a large skillet on med heat start to brown and crumble ground turkey, about 10 min later (half way through) add in onion, green pepper and garlic--continue to cook for about 5 more min, if you feel as though the meat is sticking you can add a little olive oil to make it more smooth when mixing about 5 min after adding onion etc, add the cilantro and cook for 5 more min (about 20 min total).  Now you can start to slowly add your seasoning.  Keep the water and seasoning on hand and add about 1/4 of the seasoning with 1/4 cup of the water continuing to cook on med heat.  Add more stirring and letting the meat soak up the water with the seasoning every time you add more.  This is where personal taste comes into play, depending on how strong you want the meat seasoning to taste, after adding a little over half the seasoning, taste the meat and see if this is enough for--if not add more till you feel as though you have reached your desired taste.  We nearly use all the seasoning.  I like to cook it a litlte extra longer about 2 min more after adding our desired amount of seasoning to make sure all the water is soaked up and my fiance likes his meat extra extra well done! Don't forget to take your shells out before they burn, I leave them in about 8 min.   Top with your fav toppings and ENJOY!