Tuesdays are for tacos, and you haven't lived until you've had one made of... ice cream 💃
Showing posts with label taco tuesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label taco tuesday. Show all posts
Happy Taco Tuesday!
Today I'm posting a round-up of the last nineteen Taco Tuesdays. All tasty, all must-makes. Just click on each photo for the post containing the recipe. The only hard part will be deciding which one you'll make tonight :) Enjoy!
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Taco Tuesday - Crispy Fish Tacos with Lemon Dill Sauce
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
How often do you cook fish at home? I feel like buying fish is one of those things that's out of my comfort zone - watching Top Chef tells me I'm supposed to smell the fish before I purchase it to determine freshness, but I feel a bit odd asking the man behind the fish counter if I can do that. Does anyone who is not a professional chef actually smell seafood before purchasing? To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd be able to tell anything from the scent anyway. Instead, I just make a special trip to our local fish market and hope for the best. Since I'm timid about purchasing it, I don't have much practice in the actual cooking of fish - but after each time I do bake/fry/sauté it, I always, always think damn that was easy (and fast), followed by, why the heck do I not cook fish more often? So, in the spirit of an easy and quick fish dish comes this Taco Tuesday's meal: Crispy Fish Tacos with Lemon Dill Sauce.
Crispy Fish Tacos
Ingredients
1 cup panko (Japanese-style bread crumbs, usually found with other bread crumbs)
3/4 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
salt and pepper
cooking spray
1 lb. cod
For serving: Flour tortillas and lemon dill sauce
Instructions
Preheat broiler to high and coat a (vented) broiler pan with cooking spray. Mix panko, paprika, onion and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Place egg whites in another shallow dish. Cut cod into equal sized filets and salt and pepper to taste. Dip each piece of fish into egg mixture, then dredge in panko mixture and place on broiler pan. Broil four minutes on both sides. While fish is baking, whip up lemon dill sauce and heat flour tortillas. Assemble and have a happy Taco Tuesday!
Lemon Dill Sauce
Ingredients
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle
2 teaspoons chopped dill
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
Mix mayonaise, dill pickle, dill and lemon juice in a small bowl.
True story - CPK (California Pizza Kitchen) used to be my happy place. Here's how it happened: One day toward the end of grad school, I was in downtown Santa Barbara searching for an interview outfit (because being a month away from graduation and without an interview is only slightly worse than having an interview scheduled but nothing to wear). Anyway, while shopping, I dropped my phone (it was actually while I was changing in the dressing room, but that's part of shopping, right?). This was 2005, so a smart phone it was not, and phones these days must be much more robust because my phone wouldn't turn back on. This would have been fine, had I known where my keys were. Yep, I misplaced them while shopping. So, I'm standing there phone-less and keyless at the outdoor shopping center, and I'm pretty sure there were actual tears (the end of grad school is super busy and stressful to begin with, so it didn't take much to push me over the edge). Luckily, this was back-in-the-day when people memorized phone numbers, so I dialed my grad school BFFs via pay phone. They came to my rescue and walked me directly into the CPK where I proceeded to drink a pint of beer from a straw (I instantly felt better). We retraced my steps and I found my keys under a stack of black dress pants at The Limited. Since that day, CPK has been the answer to any bad day. CPK will make anything better! was my mantra.
We now literally live a thousand miles from the closest CPK, so it obviously can't be the answer anymore. However, these tacos are the next best thing to being at the restaurant. CPK is know for their "Original BBQ Chicken" pizzas and salads, and these tacos are a spin on the "Original BBQ Chicken" theme. They are extremely quick and easy to make, and totally delicious.
BBQ Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
2 cups shredded chicken (rotisserie, or, make your own in the slow cooker)
1 cup BBQ Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup black beans (drained and rinsed)
For serving:
Flour tortillas
Diced red onion
Shredded cheddar
Avocado
Lettuce
Ranch dressing (I use Marie's)
Directions
Place chicken in a sauce pan and add BBQ sauce (I like a lot, so feel free to add less). Mix in corn and black beans, and warm over medium heat until hot. While mixture is cooking, crisp flour tortillas (I did this in a skillet with olive oil). Spoon mixture onto tortillas and top with red onion, cheddar, avocado, lettuce and ranch (I put the ranch in a ziplock baggie and sniped off the tip so I could pipe it on). I served with sweet potato corn chips (and refrained from drinking my beer through a straw).
*This recipe can easily be halved to feed just a couple people, or doubled to feed more :)
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Taco Tuesday - Pineapple Pork Tacos with Fried Plantains
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Happy Taco Tuesday! You'd think with all the tacos we consume in our house that we wouldn't ever go out for Mexican food... but we do! Little Man has hopped on the bandwagon and will request Taco Mama, Casa Blanca or Little Rosie's for restaurant options if we are dining out :) I think he might like Mexican food just as much as his daddy - if Parker knows it's Taco Night, he'll tell anyone he sees.
Our last Taco Night was a new-to-me recipe for Pineapple Pork Tacos, found in the August 2015 issue of Real Simple magazine. I like the twist of using pineapple in the tacos, and I added a side of fried plantains to keep with the fruit theme. These tacos were scrumptious - and the flavor profile was very different from most anything I cook. I definitely remember complaining that we didn't have any leftovers, so I might double this recipe the next time I make it!
Pineapple Pork Tacos
Ingredients
1 20 oz can pineapple chunks in juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 jalapeños, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons canola oil
For Serving: white corn tortillas, sliced red onion, cilantro, feta cheese
Directions
Combine 1/2 cup pineapple juice, chili powder, pork, and jalapeño slices in a large ziplock bag. Refrigerate 1-4 hours. Remove the pork, discard liquid, and cook pork in canola oil over medium high heat (3-4 minutes per side). Thinly slice and stuff into warmed tortillas. Top with pineapple chunks, onion, cilantro, and feta.
Fried Plantains
Ingredients
1 plantain, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
pinch of salt
Directions
Melt butter in a ceramic non-stick skillet on medium high. Brown both sides of plantain slices, then turn heat down to continue cooking the plantains (five-ish minutes). Season with a pinch of salt.
Lani, one of my grad school besties, started a food blog called Aloha Belly this year. How cute is the name? A darling nod to her Hawaiian roots. I love the glimpses she gives into her kitchen - lots of fresh ingredients, and meals you'll feel good about eating. Recently, she posted a recipe for pork carnitas, and as soon as I saw it I knew we needed it for Taco Tuesday.
The pork is simmered all day in a slow cooker, and comes out terrifically tender. We topped with avocado, queso fresco, cilantro and hot sauce. The pork was mildly flavored, which was perfect for using it as leftovers (I made rice bowls the next night, and also used the pork in quesadillas and on a salad for lunch). The recipe calls for a three pound pork shoulder, so unless you're having company, you'll probably have leftovers ;) Find the recipe here (and check out Lani's other fabulous recipes!). I served the pork tacos with some homemade Mexican rice (my own recipe I whipped up after consulting a few Pinterest recipes and also trying to incorporate our CSA veggies for the week). It was super easy to make the rice because the pork was making itself in the slow cooker. Goodness, I love our slow cooker.
Mande's Mexican Rice
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 cup rice (white or brown)
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili pepper (I used chipotle chili pepper which gave the rice some smokiness)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
Sautee garlic, onion and bell pepper in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add rice, tomatoes, chicken broth and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 15 minutes if using white rice (I used brown rice and cooked for about half an hour). Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melty. Serve with your favorite tacos!
Here's a fun, quirky take on Taco Tuesday... Salmon Caesar Salad Tacos! So easy to put together, and almost too pretty to eat.
I love a Caesar Salad - it makes a very quick, yummy side for any dinner - so we almost always have a jarred Caesar dressing in the fridge (I like Marie's), plus grated Parmesan (from Costco) and croutons in the pantry (also Costco). But, these toppings also work so well for a Salmon Caesar Salad taco! To build the taco, stuff a white corn tortilla with baked salmon, then basically build the salad on top. Yum!
Salmon Caesar Salad Tacos
Ingredients
Salmon Fillets
White Corn Tortillas
Romain Lettuce*
Refrigerated Caesar Dressing (I use Marie's)*
Croutons*
Grated Parmesan*
*you can also buy a Fresh Express Kit in Caesar Supreme in your grocery store's refrigerated section, and this will take care of the lettuce, croutons, dressing and cheese
Directions
Bake the salmon in a 350 degree oven (about 10 minutes per inch of thickness). I love the salmon from the prepared section at Costco - it's flavored with a bit of basil butter, and it cooks in the same pan you buy it in - so easy, and no dishes! Once the salmon is done, stuff the white corn tortillas (or, chill the salmon if you want it cold). Top salmon with lettuce, add a dollop of the dressing, and sprinkle with croutons and cheese. Enjoy!
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Taco Tuesday - Sausage, Peppers & Onions Soft Tacos
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Part of the fun of belonging to a CSA is the surprise of what's going to come in the weekly basket, and planning meals from there. For the past few weeks, we've been getting bell peppers and onions in every singly basket. Onions are easy to incorporate into almost any meal, but I realized that the peppers were stacking up. I needed a meal that would use those babies up. I came across this recipe for sausage, peppers and onions, and I'll admit, while I was happy to be incorporating those bell peppers, I wasn't too excited about the recipe. I had made peppers and onions in the past, but they were never super flavorful or memorable. Well, I realized what I was doing wrong. According to my recipe inspiration, the key is to let the peppers and onions simmer for at least 30 minutes. I hadn't been cooking mine nearly this long. Y'all, it makes all the difference. The onions start to caramelize and everything becomes twelve kinds of delicious. Husby raved about this meal. And why is it that the simplest meals always get the best reviews? I mean, this dinner could not be easier. So much that I have already made it twice. Twice! The first time I was not planning on blogging about it (remember my low expectations?), and the second time, I literally woke up on Taco Tuesday pumped because dinner was going to be so easy to make. Score. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe, but these tacos are still ridiculously easy to put together.
First the shopping list: onion, peppers, and sausage. Done. Add in some flour tortillas since we are making these into tacos, and I served them with CSA fruit. The original recipe used a chicken sausage, but I thought a sweet breakfast-style pork sausage would be super tasty, so that's what I picked up.
For the prep, dice the peppers and onions. Done. I mean, I was not lying when I said this meal was suuuuuper simple. (The original recipe uses more traditional large pieces of peppers and onions, but since these were for tacos, I diced mine up. I'm also feeding a two-year-old, so having bite-sized pieces also totally helps come dinner time).
The original recipe calls for heating up oil in the skillet. I did this the first time I made the tacos and they mixture turned out pretty greasy (delicious, but greasy). So the next time, I skipped the oil and put the sausage straight into a heated skillet. After browning for five minutes, I added the peppers and onions, and (as per directions!) let them simmer a good 30 minutes. And that's preeeetty much it. You now have thirty minutes to do the dishes, clean the kitchen, and even dice up some fruit to go along with your tacos. We had a cantaloupe in that week's CSA box, yum.
After 30 minutes, the sausage, peppers, and onions should be ready! The original recipe added some chopped basil at this point, and since our garden is still producing it, I added a handful as well. I then removed the skillet from the heat and stirred in some shredded jack cheese to melt (you can also top the tacos with cheese right before serving like the original recipe, but husby likes his cheese melted so I did it right in the pan). Then just stuff your warmed flour tortillas and you are good to go! Happy Taco Tuesday!
Sausage, Peppers & Onions Soft Tacos
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
1 lb. country style or breakfast style pork sausage
for serving: flour tortillas, shredded jack cheese, basil, fruit
Directions
Brown sausage in pre-heated skillet for five minutes. Add onion and peppers and simmer on low/medium low for at least thirty minutes. Add a handful of chopped basil (optional) and remove from heat. Stir in a handful of shredded jack cheese and let melt. Stuff into warmed flour tortillas, and serve with fruit if desired. Make a note to make them on the next Taco Tuesday because they are so darn easy.
Have you ever found yourself, 5pm at the grocery store, basket in hand but no ideas for dinner? I've got you covered! You can have dinner on the table by six! (Unless you live ridiculously far away from the grocery store, in which case maybe you'll be eating by 6:20). Anyway, here's what you do...
Hightail it to the produce section and put an onion, two tomatoes, some garlic and a pepper in your basket (a jalapeño would work, I had a mystery pepper already on hand from our CSA box). If you're feeling festive, throw in some cilantro. Next, swing by the canned goods for some black beans and flour tortillas, then head to the dairy section for some shredded cheese (or, if you're like me, you have some in the fridge. Growing up my mom always grated a big block from Costco and kept it in baggies - I think it tastes better, too!).
Hightail it to the produce section and put an onion, two tomatoes, some garlic and a pepper in your basket (a jalapeño would work, I had a mystery pepper already on hand from our CSA box). If you're feeling festive, throw in some cilantro. Next, swing by the canned goods for some black beans and flour tortillas, then head to the dairy section for some shredded cheese (or, if you're like me, you have some in the fridge. Growing up my mom always grated a big block from Costco and kept it in baggies - I think it tastes better, too!).
Finally, you'll need a rotisserie chicken. Save this for last because you don't want to lug that thing around the market while you're getting everything else. Check-out (hopefully you have your wallet. Have I told you about the time I had $200 worth of groceries and no wallet? Not fun! Luckily my husby was at home and I was at the closest grocery store, so he came to my rescue. I still might have shed some tears to the cashier!) and head home. Can you do this by 5:30? Good, we'll start counting at 5:30...
5:30-5:35: Walk in the kitchen, drop your groceries on the counter, turn your oven broiler on high to pre-heat, and start dicing! You'll want to dice the tomatoes and onion, and mince the pepper and garlic. Mix everything in a bowl and toss with a couple swirls of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Place mixture in a 9x12 baking dish.
5:35-5:40: Place baking dish in oven, and get started on the rotisserie chicken. Remove all the meat and shred into a big bowl.
5:40-5:42: Remove pan, stir around the veggies and add chicken.
5:42-5:47: Place dish back in broiler and prep beans (heat in a pan on stove and place into a bowl or dish).
5:47-5:50: Remove the baking dish once again from the oven (the veggies should all be nice and soft and the chicken hot). Sprinkle a few handfuls of cheese on the top and put back in the broiler.
5:50-5:55: Set the table, put out the beans, then finally take the baking dish out of the oven.
5:55-6:00: Warm the flour tortillas and stuff with the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cilantro. Place on a platter then put on the table.
6:00pm: Bon Appétit!
Except, these are tacos. So, Buen Provecho :)
Oven Broiled Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
1 onion
2 tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño pepper
2 tbs. olive oil
rotisserie chicken (meat removed and shredded)
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar/jack blend)
For Serving: Cilantro, Flour Tortillas, one can black beans
Directions
Pre-heat oven broiler. Dice and mix the first four ingredients. Toss in a bowl with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Press into a 9x12 baking dish and broil five minutes. Remove from oven, stir, and add rotisserie chicken (use your judgement - I had a ginormous chicken so I didn't put all the meat in the dish). Put mixture back in oven for another five minutes (prep beans at this point of desired). Remove dish again and add cheese to the top. Broil another five minutes. Stuff mixture into warmed flour tortillas and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately because the mixture will turn the tortillas soggy if left too long. Pat yourself on the back for getting dinner on the table in a half hour!
Yesterday was Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. So, happy unofficial start of autumn! And why not kick it off with a super easy, quirky dinner: breakfast tacos! I'm no stranger to a breakfast-for-dinner night. They are ridiculously simple yet feel festive, fun and special. Bonus points for wearing pajamas to the dinner table.
The Filling
I started with placing a pound of chorizo sausage in a hot skillet (no need for oil, the fat will render from the sausage and give you plenty of liquid to work with). I prefer using the ground meat but of you can't find it, just take the casings off a few chorizo sausage links and break apart the meat in the skillet with a wooden spoon while it's cooking. While the chorizo is cooking, I cracked and whisked four eggs. Prepare them how you normally would for scrambled eggs (I always add salt, pepper, and a dash of cream). Once the chorizo was completely cooked through (10-15 minutes), I added the egg mixture right to the same pan and continued stirring with the wooden spoon until they came together. Cooking the eggs in the chorizo grease will give them a bit of color and flavoring. Once the eggs were almost ready, I removed the pan from the heat and mixed the eggs with the sausage. Then, into warmed flour tortillas went the mixture!
The Topping
I topped the tacos with homemade pico de gallo, sour cream, and extra cilantro.
The Side
I rounded out the meal with tortilla chips plus my crockpot black beans. Since the recipe makes so much, I froze some of the beans in quart sized freezer bags when I first made them. I transferred one of the bags to the refrigerator the night before this meal. Then when it was time to serve them I just heated them on the stove (the microwave would have worked, too!).
Chorizo Breakfast Tacos
Ingredients
1 lb. ground chorizo sausage
4 eggs (beaten with salt and pepper, and optional dash of cream)
For serving: Warmed flour tortillas, pico de gallo, sour cream and cilantro
Directions
Cook chorizo in a hot, dry skillet (the fat will render and there will be grease to spare) using a wooden spoon to break apart and move around then meat. Once chorizo is completely cooked-through (10-15 minutes), move it to the side of the pan and add the egg mixture to cook in the chorizo grease. Stir eggs with the wooden spoon until they start to firm. When they are almost done cooking, remove the skillet from the heat and fold the eggs into the chorizo. Spoon the mixture into warm flour tortillas (I just warmed mine in the microwave in a damp kitchen towel for 30 seconds, but you could also char them on the stove for some extra flavor). Top with pico de gallo, cilantro and sour cream. Try not to get any on your pajamas :)
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