Navajo Tacos

(This is a good recipe I found in a small church cookbook - I liked this because I could use it as a Sunday meal, and leave the cooked meat in the crockpot on low - below I have my sister, Joann's recipe for the bread, but I originally used Rhodes frozen bread dough)

 **frozen bread dough

**Cooked Pinto beans, I used refried beans

**Sauteed Onion and garlic

**Grated cheddar cheese

**Diced tomato

** oil for frying

**Cooked ground beef

** Picante sauce, or salsa

**Shredded lettuce

** chopped  green onion

1. Thaw bread dough. Pinch off 2" balls of dough; then let rest for 1/2 hour.

2.  Melt shortening in heavy skillet and heat until very hot, almost to smoking point.  Do not let it get any hotter or bread will scorch.

3.  Fry one taco at a time.  Before frying, stretch each ball of dough as thin as you can by hand, preferably just 1/8 to 1/16th of an inch thick ( I didn't quite get mine thin enough).  You will end up with a thin circle 6 inches or larger in diameter.  If you have trouble stretching the dough this thin by hand you can roll it out, but the dough will not be nearly as light and puffy.

4.  Fry dough in oil for about 30 seconds, until puffy and golden, drain on paper towel.

5.  To make chili bean topping, combine cooked pinto beans, cooked ground beef, sauteed onions with picante sauce or salsa in proportions desired.  Simmer ingredients together for a short while.  Then ladle mixture over taco.  It aces as a kind of edible bowl.  Top with grated cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and green onion.  Serve with salsa.

Joann's Navajo Taco Bread recipe:

Mix following ingredients into a soft ball:

* 2 Tbsp baking powder

* 4 c. flour

* 1 tsp salt

* 1 Tbsp. Melted butter

* 1 c. milk

* 1 c. water.  

(Add more flour is it's too sticky)

--shape into small 8" thick x 4 " diameter circles.  Punch holes with fork and fry in oil.