Leftover Taco Biscuits

I went on a tropical vacation to Costa Rica a week or two ago. It was amazing. I ate lots of delicious food, and drank plenty of Mojitos and Pina Coladas. I didn’t count a single calorie, even though I sometimes thought about how many I was consuming.  On top of the souvenirs I brought back to the states, I also unfortunately brought back a few additional pounds of, well, me. 

So, I’ve been back on track with my food and fitness. I pushed though a 5-mile run yesterday evening, after a bodyweight workout.

I found in my freezer this morning before work some frozen taco meat from the last time I made taco salad, but I didn’t really want tacos. I took it out to thaw anyway, figuring I would come up with something between then and dinner time.

I did.   After work I stopped at the grocery store on the way home and picked up a package Grands! Original Flaky Biscuits, and here’s what I did with them when I got home. I suggest a good side of will power when you make these because you’re going to want to eat way more than a single serving.  I had them with a tablespoon of reduced fat sour cream, and some Cholula hot sauce. They were divine.

You could also use a mini muffin pan to make these as appetizers; they’d be a huge hit.

Serves 6: 2 Biscuits

Calories 299 / Fat 15.2g / Fiber 1.5g / Protein 9g / Carbs 31g

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup cupcake pan and dust with flour.

(If you don't have leftover prepared taco meat handy; Prepare taco meat by frying 1 lb extra lean (93/7) ground beef in a pan, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add a package of taco seasoning, and cook according to package directions.)

Divide layers from biscuits and line the bottom of each cup with one layer. 

Add 1 Tbsp of meat to each cup. Add 1/4 ounce  cheese (about a tsp) on top of the meat. Add desired amount of diced onion on top of cheese. Add 1 tsp Rotel tomatoes to each cup.

Divide additional layers of biscuits and top each cup with a layer. Using the tines of a fork, or your fingers (your choice) pres the dough tops down into the dough bottoms so that a seal forms. You don't have to really precise - they will cook together.

Brush a bit of milk on the top of each muffin. Sprinkle the tops with seasoning of you choice. These have a bit of oregano and something called Seasoning Magic.

Bake for about 20 minutes: remove when the tops are a nice golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.  

Serve with a dollop of reduced fat sour cream, guacamole, or salsa as desired. 

The dish in the background is Vegetable and Edamame Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce. I made it so I could take it to lunch the rest of the week, but it looked so good I had to have some tonight too.  I used Ronzoni garden Delight Rotini, omitted the tomatoes, and next time, I'll use half a Haas avocado instead of a whole, and double the edamame. I really like edamame.