Grass fed beef if possible, if not grond from Whole Foods or someplace where I can verify that they grind it in house and don't add slime. Then mix beef 50/50 with black beans.

If you spice it up right, this can be really delicious.

There are plenty of things you can use as a meat substitute that are not processed. Probably the easiest is tempeh. You crumble it and fry it just like you would ground beef. There's nothing processed about it.

Anonymous wrote:I would eat the grass fed beef before I'd eat that faux meat crap. That cannot be good for you. I'd worry about the hormones in the soy. Does Boca use the genetically modified soy?

I sort of agree with this.

I realize OP didn't identify as vegetarian, but I never understand vegetarians who try to replicate meat dishes with meatless alternatives. Often they're the same people who complain about process foods. Nothing's more processed than a meat substitute.

We buy meat at the farmer's market. Generally the farmer is more than happy to tell you how they raise their product and if they aren't, I move on.

It is darn near impossible to find non-gmo soy these days. Even organic soy is reported to have some gmo's in it. I wouldn't fake soy meat if I didn't have to.

I would eat the grass fed beef before I'd eat that faux meat crap. That cannot be good for you. I'd worry about the hormones in the soy. Does Boca use the genetically modified soy?

I buy my beef in bulk from a local farmer (they also sell individually packaged). They butcher it at their butcher and I pick it up.

100% grass fed
100% natural
100% drug free
supporting my local economy, supporting the small farmer, supporting sustainable food that is good for my body.

I now eat beef guilt free. I'd like to move into Chicken, but local chicken is way too expensive! I stick to my Organic store bought, which is second best to local IMO.

I make tacos with ground turkey breast or ground chicken. I typically buy it at WF. Sometimes I grind chicken breasts myself in the food processor.

We eat tacos made with boca crumbles a few times a month. Fast and delicious.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Second the grass fed beef if you want to use beef. It's much lower in fat in general.

Grass fed ground beef is sold labeled with percent of fat, just like other ground beef. I think the issue isn't that its lower in fat, but that the fats in it are more healthy. Better ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. My family tries to eat as much pasture raised animal fat as possible - or as much as we can afford on a tight food budget.

OP, what is your health concern about eating ground beef? Bacterial contamination? Fat? Environmental impacts?

I'm the pp who asked what the health concern is. Re-read the original post and see that you're concerned about ammonia. I found a link to info that says organic ground beef cannot have ammonia or other additives. That info comes at the very bottom of this article:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/where-you-can-get-pink-slime-free-beef/

Anonymous wrote:Second the grass fed beef if you want to use beef. It's much lower in fat in general.

Grass fed ground beef is sold labeled with percent of fat, just like other ground beef. I think the issue isn't that its lower in fat, but that the fats in it are more healthy. Better ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. My family tries to eat as much pasture raised animal fat as possible - or as much as we can afford on a tight food budget.

OP, what is your health concern about eating ground beef? Bacterial contamination? Fat? Environmental impacts?

Second the grass fed beef if you want to use beef. It's much lower in fat in general.

I would buy grass-fed ground beef--or if you're really concerned, buy some grass-fed chuck and have the butcher grind it for you.

I'm personally of the camp though that you should make what tastes good--the boca stuff simply isn't as good as real beef, sorry--and just eat the real thing infrequently.

Just use black beans or grilled veggies for tacos?

Try Morningstar Farms or Boca veggie crumbles (not sure of the exact names, but found in the frozen food aisle). These work great as a meatless substitute. I use them often in chili and pasta recipes when I want to go meatless.

I'm not a vegetarian but eat a mainly vegetarian diet. I do cook chicken about once a week especially because my husband likes it (so if I make a stir fry I will tend toward the veggies and he will eat most of the chicken) but rarely eat red meat.

However, I sort of want to make tacos with ground beef. Is there a healthier way to do this? I have heard that if you ask the butcher to prep it right there it is better because you can avoid the ammonia that is often added? Can I avoid a lot of these issues by buying at Whole Foods? I don't mind spending more since we eat it so infrequently.

Also, if someone has a good recommendation for veggie crumbles or whatever to sub out for ground beef - husband won't go for that but might be fun for me to try.