In Mexico, tacos are small, fresh, and simply prepared. I once had a taco al pastor there that was mind-bendingly good, and it had all of three ingredients! Somehow, when the taco got to the United States, it morphed into double-crust, Taco Bell Beef Supreme Chalupa with sour-cream-out-of-a-caulking-gun madness. Here I do my best to honor the Americanized taco everyone seems to love, while bringing some traditional flavors into the picture.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　1 pound ground turkey breast

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　One 14.5-ounce can black beans, with their liquid

　　1 cup hot tomatillo salsa, such as Salpica Cilantro Green Olive Salsa

　　1/2 bunch scallions (white and green parts), sliced thin on the diagonal

　　Four 6-inch sprouted-corn tortillas, such as Ezekiel Food for Life

　　3/4 cup store-bought fresh salsa, such as Top Crop

　　1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

　　1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

　　1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced

　　

Step 1

Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey to the pan, and season it with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring to break up the meat, until the turkey is golden brown and cooked through, 6 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the black beans with their liquid and the tomatillo salsa. Continue to cook the mixture until it is hot throughout. Stir in the scallions.

　　

Step 3

Meanwhile, using flameproof tongs, char the tortillas over an open flame until each side is slightly blackened (or toast them under a preheated broiler). Keep the tortillas warm by covering them with a kitchen towel as you go.

　　

Step 4

Holding a warm tortilla in your hand, slightly folded, fill it with some of the turkey mixture, fresh salsa, yogurt, lettuce, and avocado. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, and serve.

　　

nutrition information

Step 5

Fat: 31.6g (before), 4.6g (after)

　　

Step 6

Calories: 571 (before), 280 (after)

　　

Step 7

Protein: 29g

　　

Step 8

Carbohydrates: 35g

　　

Step 9

Cholesterol: 41mg

　　

Step 10

Fiber: 10g

　　

Step 11

Sodium: 1,345mg

　　Now Eat This by Rocco DiSpirito. Copyright © 2010 by Rocco DiSpirito. Published by Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Hailed as the "Leading Chef of his Generation" by Gourmet magazine, Rocco DiSpirito received the James Beard Award for his first cookbook, Flavor. He went on to author Rocco's Italian-American (2004), Rocco's Five Minute Flavor (2005), Rocco's Real-Life Recipes (2007), and Rocco Gets Real (2009). DiSpirito also starred in the Food Network series Melting Pot, the NBC hit reality series The Restaurant, and the A&E series Rocco Gets Real.