Recipe: Paleo Venison Heart Tacos

If you thought this was a typical blog, you were wrong. I’ve been eating venison (wild deer meat) since I was a baby and I continue to believe that it is the best meat out there (wild, deer are overpopulated, you know all of that is organic and free of hormones/antibiotics). As a paleo dieter for about a year and taco lover since tacos first landed in my mouth, I needed a paleo taco recipe. I had been cheating with soft corn taco shells (and continue to when the need strikes), but one day I decided to change all of that and make my own tortillas.

INGREDIENTS:
Tortillas:

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 3/4 cup tapioca flour
• 3 tbs coconut flour
• 2 eggs
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 tbs olive oil

Venison:

• venison heart, chopped
• lime or lemon juice
• chili powder
• salt and pepper
• garlic powder

Additions:

• avocado
• hot sauce
• whatever else you want!

TOOLS:

• 1-2 pans (in case you want to cook them at the same time)
• spatula
• 2 small bowls
• measuring cup

STEP 1: Make the tortillas!

I had wanted to make my own tortillas for a long time, but all traditional recipes seemed like they took a long time and I felt like I didn’t have the right kitchen tools to do it right, so I backed out of that idea awhile ago. However, my co-op has tapioca flour in bulk for super cheap, so I looked into making tortillas with that. This is the second time I used Paleo Newbie‘s tortilla recipe.
I highly recommend, but the first time I made them too thick. Try adding the batter to the pan with a tablespoon in a circular motion to keep it thin. What’s so awesome about this recipe is that it doesn’t taste like the crumbly, gluten-free tortillas you can find pre-packaged in stores. It doesn’t taste like a corn tortilla either, but it’s delicious nonetheless (I promise). I also recommend using less salt than the recipe calls for (a pinch is good enough, but use your best judgement).

STEP 2: Prepare your heart

So, once you’ve made your tortillas, chop up your venison heart. If you have trouble finding venison or heart or you want to use something else, go for it. Organ meats (also known as offal) are high in CoEnzymeQ10 which repairs mitochondria damage (what happens when you get stressed, breathe in polluted air, eat fast food, etc) and therefore boosts your energy levels because WHY? The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.
This song came up on shuffle while chopping my heart and found it somewhat hilarious:

(The live version of Tank and the Bangas is always better than a recording)

Add the following spices once your heart is chopped into appropriate taco-size pieces:

• chili powder
• salt and pepper
• lemon or lime juice*
• garlic powder

*The lemon/lime juice is really important because it changes the gritty, earthy taste you tend to get from offal.

STEP 3: Cook
I threw my heart pieces into a pan seasoned with olive oil, but you can use whatever you want. I’ve used coconut oil before as well.

STEP 4: Put it all together!

Spread some avocado onto a tortilla and then fill with venison heart.

On second thought, adding hot sauce to tacos is always a good idea! 🙂
 
My brother really liked the tortillas and went so far as to ask how to make them. He also continued to snack on the deer heart and couldn’t stop.