Adulting Hack to Keep Your Cultura Alive Through Food

Let’s be real: adulting is tough. For many young adults, one of the hardest parts is learning to prepare satisfying, nourishing meals. If that’s you, you’re not alone. It’s especially tough if you’re used to eating labor-intensive cultural meals prepared by your mami or abuela. We’ve partnered with the makers of The SPAM® Brand for an easy solution to one of adulthood’s most pressing challenges: cooking and meal prep, by coming up with a modern take on Tacos a la Mexicana.

The reality is that life gets busy as we become more independent, and with the little free time we have, we want to make the most of it. So many of the cultural dishes we grew up eating take hours to prepare, and between moving into a new apartment, starting a new job, and getting a handle on this new chapter of adulthood, often, we simply don’t have the time to spend hours cooking.

One of the best ways to manage this is to find cooking shortcuts that allow you to recreate your favorite Mexican meals in a fraction of the time. This could include buying meat of choice

SPAM® products allow you to make tacos, enchiladas, and more without spending hours marinating, cooking, and laboring in the kitchen. Offering bold flavor in convenient and versatile packaging, meal prep is just as easy as cleaning up, especially if you make it a team effort and split the tasks with a roommate, partner, or friend.Speaking of team effort, here’s a simple and delicious recipe for Tacos a la Mexicana that’s great on its own and even better when shared with friends. Follow the recipe to the mark or remix it with different SPAM® Varieties, adding your favorite herbs and spices to make it your own.

SPAM® Classic A La Mexicana

Ingredients:

• 1 can SPAM® Classic, diced
• 6 flour tortillas, pre-cooked or uncooked
• 1 can/bag refried black beans
• 2 russet potatoes, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves, diced
• 6 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 1 bunch of Cilantro, chopped
• Queso Oaxaca, freshly grated for cheesy cheese pull (or queso fresco)
• Guacamole (2-3 avocados), could also just use avocado slices
• 2 to 3 lemons
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Water

Directions:

• In a medium pan over medium heat, sauté the diced SPAM® Classic for 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the pan.
• In the same pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and Sauté the potatoes. Cook for 5-8 minutes or until they are golden brown. Set aside.
• Next, add the jalapeño, onion, and garlic to the pan,cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
• Add the cooked SPAM® Classic, tomatoes, and ¼ cup of water to the pan with the sautéed veggies and cooked potatoes. Mix until evenly combined, cover, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Add ½ of the cilantro halfway through the simmering process, or after 5 minutes.
• In the meantime, heat the pre-cooked flour tortillas and refried black beans.
• Once the food is ready, spread the refried black beans onto a flour tortilla and add the cooked SPAM® Classic mixture.
• Top with avocado slices, queso fresco, a drizzle of crema, and cilantro.
• ¡Provecho!

It doesn’t stop at tacos. You can use SPAM® Classic in place of other meats to make your favorite cultural dishes from enchiladas to chilaquiles. The opportunities are endless. Here are a few tips for how you can use SPAM® Varieties to spice up your culinary skills.

Replace Other Meats With SPAM® Classic 

Intimidated by handling raw meat? You’re not alone. Even if you know how to cook, the time it takes to prepare meat – brining, marinating, seasoning – after a long day can be daunting. 

While you may still choose to make homemade tortillas or frijoles de la olla from time to time, having one less component to prepare can take such a load off in the kitchen. That’s where SPAM® Classic comes into play. This one ingredient can save tons of time and effort without sacrificing flavor.

It takes just a few minutes to prepare. Simply remove it from the can and slice it into strips, dice it into small cubes, or grate it depending on what works best for the dish you’re making. Heat it on the stovetop for a few minutes until it’s nicely browned, and add it to your favorite recipe.

Turn Up the Flavor With SPAM® Classic 

Not only is SPAM® Classic a great alternative to traditional meats, but it can be used to enhance the flavor of everything from breakfast eggs to go–to side dishes like beans or potatoes. For example, you can add sliced, pan-fried SPAM® Classic to huevos rancheros for a modern twist or dice it up and add it to guacamole or beans. It also goes well in chilaquiles con huevos— slice it into thin strips and pan fry them before adding them on top of the tortilla chips.

SPAM® Classic adds a savory, satisfying kick to any dish, especially if you’re on a tight budget. 

The SPAM® Brand products come in various flavors and varieties, so you can easily use them to enhance or modernize your favorite dishes. For spice lovers who want that extra kick, try SPAM® Jalapeño or SPAM® Hot and Spicy. Varieties like SPAM® Lite, with 25% less sodium and 50% less fat than SPAM® Classic, and SPAM® Less Sodium are also solid options.

Pick up a few varieties to quickly grab one from your pantry to cook up a 10-minute flavorful meal.

The bottom line: regardless of time constraints or your cooking experience level, SPAM® Products are a convenient and versatile way to keep your culture alive in the kitchen. Consider this your new adulting cheat code for having amazing meals without compromising on quality. By swapping labor-intensive meats with SPAM® Classic, adding it to egg or bean-based dishes, and taking advantage of the full range of SPAM® Varieties, you can keep yourself nourished, well-fed, and spice up your favorite cultural dishes.

Stock up on SPAM® Classic here and get cooking!