Slider Image 1 Content
Ground beef taco recipe has a surprise ingredients: oatmeal : NPR
This recipe started in Arizona. Now, sisters Kirsten Ayles (left), in San Clemente, Calif., and Alexis Wold, in New York City, make it on opposite coasts. Right: A family photo of their grandparents’ restaurant, Odd’s Sombrero in Wickenburg, Ariz.
Alexis Wold/Collage by NPR
hide caption
toggle captions
Alexis Wold/Collage by NPR
This recipe started in Arizona. Now, sisters Kirsten Ayles (left), in San Clemente, Calif., and Alexis Wold, in New York City, make it on opposite coasts. Right: A family photo of their grandparents’ restaurant, Odd’s Sombrero in Wickenburg, Ariz.
Alexis Wold/Collage by NPR
All Things We’re Cooking is a series featuring family recipes from you, our readers and listeners, and the special stories behind them. We’ll continue to share more of your kitchen gems throughout the holidays.
For as long as she can remember, from growing up in New Mexico to living in New York City today, Alexis Wold has made taco meat the same way — using the recipe from Odd’s Sombrero, the restaurant her grandparents owned in Wickenburg, Ariz.
The restaurant was named after Wold’s paternal grandfather, Odd, who moved out to Arizona with his wife in the 1940s from Chicago. The pair decided to open a restaurant that served diner food. It wasn’t until Wold’s grandmother hired a woman named Carmen Macias that the menu changed.
“She was a young lady and she suggested that they add Mexican food to the menu,” Wold said. “And my grandmother being … fairly new to the Southwest around that time, she said, ‘I don’t know anything about Mexican food. I can’t make that.’ And [Macias] said, ‘Well, I can.'”
Macias went on to share his family’s recipes with the Wolds, who then served the recipes in the restaurant, Wold said. One of those is the taco meat recipe, which has just a handful of spices added to it but is delicious all the same.
“It’s not too spicy, in my opinion. It’s really easy to make … so sometimes I’ll make it for myself too, since from start to finish it takes maybe 20 minutes,” Wold said.
There is one surprise ingredient, though.
“One unusual thing it has in it is oatmeal. I don’t think you would normally see that in a taco meat recipe,” Wold said. “I think that was probably sort of a carryover thing since it was kind of the postwar era. There were shortages of things during the war, so a lot of people did unusual things with food to sort of extend it.”
The oatmeal gives the taco meat a nicer texture and it doesn’t fall apart as much, Wold says.
As the taco meat cooks, Wold spends that time chopping tomatoes and some spinach to add to the tacos, along with cheddar cheese and salsa. She prefers flour tortillas but will serve hard shells (and lettuce) when she makes tacos for others.
Odd’s Sombrero was sold in 1965 and Wold’s grandparents moved to Seattle. Wold said that her family isn’t sure if Macias’ family is still in Wickenburg, but it would be cool if they saw this and knew how beloved their taco meat recipe is today.
Odd’s Sombrero Taco Meat
Recipe submitted by Alexis Wold
New York, NY
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons paprika
- 1/2 cup dry quick oatmeal
- 2 cups of water
Directions
Brown the ground beef, then add the garlic and spices and stir well.
Stir in the oatmeal and water, then transfer to a greased casserole dish. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for about an hour.
Optional: For faster preparation, cooking can be completed on the stove-top, simmering until the water is absorbed and the mixture is thickened.
Serves 6 to 8.
3 Outstanding Food Swaps to Improve Brain Health
Source: Tetyana Kovyrina/Pexels
Research over the last decades has made it abundantly clear that what we eat plays a major role in our overall, and especially, brain health. For example, we know that people who eat certain patterns of diet (like the Mediterranean or MIND diets) may be protecting themselves against conditions like Alzheimer’s, dementia, and depression. We also know that inflammation in our brains (driven in part by unhealthy diets) may have the opposite effect. Yet often, it’s tough to make an abrupt change from an unhealthy diet to a healthy one. With this in mind, making some simple food swaps is a great way to ease into a brain-healthy diet. Here are three easy ways to subtract dietary junk in favor of healthier alternatives for your brain.
1. Swap processed meat for fish and unprocessed alternatives
Most of us have heard that excessive red meat consumption may be bad for our bodies. On the other side of the spectrum, the rising popularity of diets like the “carnivore” diet has others wondering if there are health benefits from eating more meat.
What does the research actually say? Although the picture is somewhat muddy, several larger studies have shown that when it comes to brain function, it’s the processed meat we want to avoid. For example, an observational study of nearly 500,000 people showed that consumption of processed meat (think hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and many deli meats) was linked to a higher risk for dementia, while eating unprocessed beef, lamb, and pork had the opposite effect .
Want to take it one step further? Seafood, especially omega-3 rich fish, like wild salmon, may be even better for long-term brain health. In a meta-analysis of over 30,000 people published in 2022, researchers found people eating more seafood had a significantly lower risk of developing dementia.
2. Swap out the refined carb snacks for nuts and seeds
One important signal in recent dementia research concerns the connection between metabolic health and brain health. In brain scans of people with dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease, there’s evidence that the brain has trouble using glucose for fuel. This is linked to something called “insulin resistance,” a condition in which our bodies (and potentially our brains) develop problems with blood sugar management.
So how does insulin resistance develop? A major contribution is thought to be the excessive consumption of foods that spike blood sugar, and processed snacks rich in refined carbohydrates (for example, crackers, chips, cookies, pretzel sticks) may do just that. In a study from 2020, researchers found that people who ate afternoon snacks that spiked blood sugar were at a higher risk for developing dementia.
If you want to ditch the refined carbs for something better for the brain, where should you look? One great source of healthier calories and nutrients is nuts and seeds. The studied benefits of nut consumption include better blood sugar control and healthier weight. Nuts are rich in specific fats linked to better brain health. Because of this, it’s been proposed that consistent nut consumption could help offset the risk for brain diseases. Some great options include almonds, walnuts, cashews (technically a seed), and pumpkin seeds.
Berries are another great substitute for sweet and processed carbohydrates. They are rich in plant nutrients called polyphenols, which have been linked to better brain health. In addition, berries tend not to spike blood sugar as much as typical refined carbohydrate-based snacks. One amazing example is blueberries, an especially healthy brain snack that can protect brain cells from age-related damage.
3. Swap soda and energy drinks for sparkling water and unsweetened coffee
In general, we consume far more added sugar than any nutritional organization recommends. For example, the World Health Organization recommends we consume less than 5 percent of our calories from added sugar, yet in the US, that number is closer to 15 percent. Added sugar has been linked to a wide variety of negative health outcomes, including worse brain health, but the evidence here is perhaps most notable for sugary beverages. In addition to the risk for weight gain and metabolic dysfunction, some research suggests that sugary drinks are linked to an increased risk for the development of dementia and depression.
The big reasons we enjoy soda and energy drinks are pretty straightforward: we get thirsty, they taste good, and they often provide a boost of caffeine. So instead of trying a direct swap for basic water, some great alternatives include flavored sparkling waters (when looking for a tasty thirst-quencher) and turning to coffee or tea (both studied for potential benefits to brain function) when you’re looking for an energy pick-me-up.
The best restaurants aboard Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady
Cruise food has rarely been thought of as the main selling point of an all-inclusive cruise experience. In fact, cruise food horror stories I’d heard in the past made me shy away from a vacation at sea. But as I prepped for a cruise aboard Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady, known for its adults-only amenities, I wondered if the cruise line could accommodate more grown up taste buds.
Embarking on the Richard Branson-owned line, I had only one mission in mind: to taste and try food from all 20 dining locations onboard throughout my five-day stay. What are the must-eat items when sailing on Scarlet Lady? That was the question.
Aboard Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady, there are three main types of dining, all of which are included in the price of your sailing. There are six table-service restaurants on Scarlet Lady, where guests sit down for a dining room experience. Reservations are highly recommended, and each of these restaurants can only be visited once per guest, per sailing. But fear not, reservations can be made directly on the Virgin Voyages app, which makes it super simple to schedule — and swap — breakfast, lunch and dinner plans.
The best table-service restaurants aboard the Scarlet Lady
Pink Agave serves a contemporary take on Mexican food, The Wake is a steak and seafood restaurant and Gunbae allows you to play games and make new friends at the dinner table over Korean barbecue. Razzle Dazzle is a vegetarian-forward eatery, Extra Virgin serves home-made pasta and Italian favorites and The Test Kitchen is part cooking school, part restaurant. While all six had something delicious to offer, two stood apart from the rest.
From mole (a popular savory chile sauce) to mariscos (the Spanish word for seafood or shellfish), Pink Agave served a fun variety of dishes that allowed me to try new foods and old favorites. With dishes even my Mexican mother-in-law would approve of, this location brought more to the table than the standard Mexican-American restaurant.
The aguachile (raw seafood tossed in chile water and served immediately) made with fresh ahi tuna was a dish so beloved by my party that we’re on a mission to recreate it at home. With bright acidity from citrus fruits that partially cook the fish, creamy avocado and bite from a bit of red onion, it all comes together atop a crisp corn tostada.
The Test Kitchen was an cannot-miss event for fellow curious eaters, like myself. In the center of the dining area, there’s a large open kitchen where chefs create playful and inventive meals you can’t find anywhere else — and don’t even think of asking for a menu.
In this epicurean adventure, there are six courses, each based around an ingredient, but the dish itself is a complete surprise. This dinner was so much fun to share with my shipmates – each course had us talking as we dove into something completely different and new.
Our courses featured mushrooms, eggs, scallops, venison, blue cheese and chocolate. As an avid blue cheese hater, I was shocked that I even enjoyed the blue cheese mousse, served with expertly-diced pears and candied walnuts.
The best quick-service restaurants aboard Scarlet Lady
In addition to formal sit-down restaurants, there are quick-service spots and of course, the all-important cruise line room service. For the more casual dining aboard Scarlet Lady, reservations are neither needed nor accepted, and for room service, all food, drinks and snacks are included for a $5 delivery fee.
The Galley, a high-class food court surrounded by large glass windows can leave sailors overwhelmed with options. Counters are piled with treats and meals as far as the eye can see. From Let’s Taco Bout It to Noodle Around, a ramen bar, the ship covers any type of nosh a guest may crave.
In the morning, my go-to sip was a caramel iced coffee from the Grounds Club, coffee bars located around the ship. Specialty coffees (and alcoholic beverages) were among the only additional charges for food or drink and were worth the price. Alongside my coffee, I typically enjoy the daily quiche from Well Bread, a savory bakery, and a fruit and yogurt bento box from Bento Baby.
In the afternoon, we’d grab sushi from Bento Baby, or thick burgers and fries from Diner and Dash when we returned from excursions, or to snack on while lounging around the pool.