Easy Healthy Navajo Tacos Recipe - My Natural Family (2024)

FAQs

What is a Navajo taco made of? ›

Deliciously crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, Navajo Tacos made with Indian Fry Bread are topped with a meaty mixture of taco seasoned ground beef and beans, then all the fixings like sour cream, shredded lettuce, cheddar cheese, and tomatoes!

A frybread taco, Indian taco, or Navajo taco, is a frybread topped with various items, normally venison or beef, as well as other toppings commonly found in tacos.

While fry bread is common in American Indian cultures across the United States, fry bread in South Dakota is traditionally made with yeast instead of baking soda like the "Navajo taco." This is because tribes in South Dakota were rationed yeast instead of baking soda on the reservation.

The Navajo hunted deer and other small mammals for protein. Today sheep are raised in the territory for wool, and mutton is one of the tribe's most popular food sources. Navajo fry bread is still an inspired food of the nation's people, and it can be found in many forms with various names around the southwest.

The first Navajo taco was created by Lou Shepard, who worked for the tribe in the 1960s as manager of the Navajo Lodge, a tribally owned motel and restaurant located across the street from what is now the Navajo Education Center.

Indian Tacos (also called Navajo or Native American Tacos) are a delicious treat we have always enjoyed at the Oklahoma State Fair! Make these delectable Indian Tacos at home with just a few simple ingredients and enjoy them anytime!

Without many toppings and garnishes, tacos tend to be low or moderate in the amount of calories, fat, and salt they contain. Use moderation when you're adding high calorie ingredients, like cheese and sour cream.

“Navajo frybread originated 144 years ago, when the United States forced Indians living in Arizona to make the 300-mile journey known as the "Long Walk" and relocate to New Mexico, onto land that couldn't easily support their traditional staples of vegetables and beans.

Are taco shells low calorie? ›

Let's answer the question with a few food numbers. One 10-inch flour tortilla delivers 5 grams of fat and 215 calories. Crispy corn taco shells weigh in with a healthier profile, but their deep-fried preparation adds fat and calories.

At first, it was only called “Lou's Special” but one day a customer came in and asked for it by calling it a “Navajo taco” and that is what it has been known as since. Shepherd said later that a lot of people believed it was a traditional Navajo dish but he would proudly admit that he was the creator.

Indian tacos are a combination of beans or ground beef, chopped lettuce, sliced tomato, shredded Cheddar cheese, and optional green chile atop plate-sized rounds of crispy Navajo or Indian fry bread.

Fry bread is a flatbread that's fried in oil, shortening or lard. Several tribes have their own variation on fry bread, but most Navajo-inspired fry breads are made with flour, water and salt and don't contain any yeast, using baking powder as the leavening agent.

The principal food is mutton, boiled, and corn prepared in many ways. Considerable flour obtained from traders is consumed; this is leavened slightly and made into small cakes, which are cooked over the embers like Mexican tortillas.