Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and brush with oil (or coat with nonstick spray). Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion; mince a few slices until you have 1 TBSP (2 TBSP for 4 servings).

Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion; cook for 3 minutes. • Add beef* and Southwest Spice Blend; cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until beef is browned and onion is softened, 4-6 minutes. • Stir in Tex-Mex paste and ⅓ cup water (½ cup for 4 servings). Simmer until mixture has thickened and beef is cooked through, 2-4 minutes more. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile, drizzle tortillas with 1 TBSP olive oil (2 TBSP for 4 servings); brush or rub to completely coat. • Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Once beef filling is done, add a heaping ¼ cup filling to one side of each tortilla, then sprinkle each with 1 TBSP Mexican cheese blend. Roll up tortillas, starting with filled sides, to create flautas. Place, seam sides down, on prepared sheet. TIP: Make sure the flautas are snug on the sheet—this will prevent them from unrolling. • Bake on middle rack until golden brown and crispy, 8-12 minutes.

While flautas bake, finely dice tomato. In a small bowl, combine tomato and minced onion. Season with salt. • Divide flautas between plates. Top with pico de gallo and red pepper crema. Serve. Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.

Ingredients:

Drain your smoked red peppers using a colander. Pat dry with a paper towel to remove additional moisture.

Place red peppers in a small food processor and pulse until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Store in an airtight jar overnight before using.