Carbs in taco seasoning mix!!
 

Ack...I just made tacos for dinner (sans tortillas for me and DH) and after I added the taco seasoning I realized it has 5 g carbs per 2 teaspoons! I used 4 tablespoons in 1.5 lbs. of ground beef. Needless to say I didn't eat that much of it. At least the brand I used has corn flour in it rather than wheat flour, which it is a bit better since I am avoiding corn but really avoiding wheat and similar grains. I didn't see any packets for sale on Netrition (just some liquid stuff from Frontera which I am sure tastes good but still has sugar in it) and I didn't really see any recipes in the recipe forum. I will be looking for a decent homemade mix for next time, ideas are welcomed!

Corn starch is basically free for food manufacturers unfortunately. It's the same reason we can't eat canned soup. :P

Google "wheat belly seasoning mixes" for some nice alternatives.

Also Linda Sue has a wonderful Taco Seasoning recipe on her site. I make up large batches at a time. It's good.

Linda Sue's recipe for taco seasoning is very good (IMO)

SEASONING FOR TACOS
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch cayenne

Combine and add to 1 pound browned and drained ground beef. Add a little water, if desired. This will be drier than taco meat made with a commercial mix due to the lack of thickeners. It tastes just as good as the store bought kind and is a lot cheaper to make.

Makes enough for 1 pound ground beef or 4-6 servings

Per batch: 26 Calories; 1g Fat; 1g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

My opinion only........ is that Linda Sue's is the best. I've been using it for years.
Wonderful.

She also has a big batch on her website. Fills my whole jar.

Thank you all so much, I will definitely use Linda Sue's recipe next time, it looks great!

I've been making my own taco seasoning for quite some time (along with other seasoning mixes). They taste better, fresher, and are better for you because they don't have the sugar and starch fillers that the ones you get from the store do. There are tons of recipes out there and you can tweak them to suit your taste :)

OMG! I just looked at my taco seasoning. I just wrote down Linda Sues and will be using hers. I was thinking that the taco soup recipe from here somewhere is on the menu for today.

Trader Joes Taco Seasoning pouch has no carbs. It's really spicy too, so you just need a little bit. Very convenient.

Check the nuts on this-it has carbs-1 per tsp listed and it isn't accurate-sugar is in the ingredients. Run the nuts through a hidden carbs calculator-the real carb count is 3.12 per tsp.

Another vote for Linda Sue's bulk recipe. I've made it so much I have it memorized now. Good stuff! I don't put in salt/msg/xanthan.

Even the homemade sugar free kind will have some carbs because the spices in it have carbs. What you want to avoid is getting sugar and starch added to the spices like you get with the commercial mixes.

By the way, I make a tweaked version now. The main differences are the added ground coriander and xanthan gum. Coriander gives the mix a little zip because of it's citrus-like flavor.

LINDA'S TACO SEASONING
1 teaspoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

Combine everything. Brown 1 pound ground beef; drain. Add the seasoning mixture along with about 1/2 cup water and 1-2 tablespoons Taco Bell Restaurant Hot Sauce (optional). Simmer about 5-10 minutes. The counts below do not include the Taco Bell sauce.

Makes about 5 teaspoons

Per batch: 31 Calories; 1g Fat; 1g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs

LINDA'S TACO SEASONING - BIG BATCH
4 tablespoons chili powder
3 tablespoons paprika
4 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
2 tablespoons salt
3 teaspoons xanthan gum
1 1/2 teaspoons MSG, optional

This makes enough for about 12 pounds of ground beef. It will fill a container about the size of one of those cans of parmesan cheese with the green label about 3/4 full. I bought my container at The Container Store but an old parmesan cheese jar would be ideal.

This is what we use, too. I love it.