Chicken Soft Tacos

I made this dish a few weekends ago.  I got the recipe from my dear friend Aleah over at Nesting in New Jersey. She is a great cook and awesome party planner!  When she posted this recipe on her blog, I knew I would have to make it.  It's exactly the type of recipes I look for--easy, quick, and relatively healthy.  Mark and I both loved this dish.  I modified the recipe a little, but check out Aleah's blog for more great recipe ideas!

Chicken Soft Tacos

3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 3 breasts)
1 teaspoon plus 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon plus ½ teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large carton low sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coursely chopped
¾ cup onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 small cans (or 1 large can) tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)


Place chicken, skin side down, in a heavy stock pot and cover with chicken broth.  Add 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and cilantro.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Cook 30-40 minutes.

Remove chicken from pan and reserve broth.  When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred and set aside.  Meanwhile, add onions and garlic to pan and sauté until just softened, about 3 minutes.  Add canned tomatoes and all juices.  Return shredded chicken to the pan.  Season with an additional 1 ½ teaspoons cumin, ½ teaspoon chili powder, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Add in ¼ – ½ cup reserved broth to moisten.

Stir well to combine.  Warm over medium-low heat and serve.

 I can't believe I didn't take a picture of our soft tacos!  I'll just have to describe them.  We had them on flour tortillas (freshly made from HEB), with refried beans, cheese, salsa, diced tomatoes, and my creamy avocado dip.  Delicious!

Shredded Beef Tacos

This blog posting goes back in time a about 2 or 3 weeks since it took me a long time to get photos uploaded.  We spent our first “free” weekend in Austin going to the outlet mall in San Marcos.  I’m in real need of some work clothes, as I’ve been wearing the same 10 or so tops since internship year (2009-2010).  My favorite store to find professional clothing is the Banana Republic outlet store.  It’s usually where I have the most luck finding clothes that are age appropriate and fit my body shape.  I had been looking forward to going to the outlet mall ever since we moved here with hopes of finding a few new pieces to wear.  After several hours and several stores, all I got were two pairs of shorts (that I won’t be wearing to work but will wear in the summer) and one skirt.  Boo.  I couldn’t find anything else so the search continues.

One cool thing that we bought though was a Le Creuset dutch oven.  I’ve been eyeing these for a while but wanted to wait until our move was complete before seriously looking into them. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to get a dutch oven was to make this shredded beef recipe that I came across on one of my favorite cooking blogs.  I am a big fan of tex-mex and so is the writer of this blog.  This recipe looked so good I have been dreaming of trying it ever since I read it about 6 months ago.  Well my dream finally came true!  Thursday night I came home from work, cooked this baby for 3 hours in the oven, and we had shredded beef tacos Friday night for dinner.  Delicious!  By the way, the dutch oven was a breeze to work with and I look forward to the next dish I’ll make with it (not sure what that is yet).  

Recipe below is slightly modified from For the Love of Cooking blog:

Shredded Beef Tacos

• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 2 lb lean chuck roast (trim most of the outside fat off) or rump roast
• Cumin, to taste
• Chili powder, to taste
• Paprika, to taste
• Oregano, to taste
• Cilantro, about 1/3 cup, chopped
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups of beef broth (plus more if needed)
• 4 oz can of whole green chiles
• 1 jalapeño, seeded, de-veined, and chopped
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Trim the outside fat off of the chuck roast. Season the chuck roast evenly with cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, coriander, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper on both sides of the roast. Place them beef in the hot Dutch oven for 2-3 minutes on each side to sear the meat. Add the beef broth, whole green chiles, jalapeno, cilantro, and minced garlic. Place the lid on the Dutch oven and place into the oven for 2-3 hours making sure to check each hour to make sure you don’t need to add more broth. The beef is done when the meat is tender and shreds easily with a fork. Carefully, remove any fat that you see in the beef then shred the beef using a fork.

Other Ingredients:

• Small flour tortillas (If you live in TX, HEB makes the best tortillas)
• Refried beans, warmed
• Extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• Diced tomato
• Avocado dip

Heat the refried beans. Place the tortillas in a damp cloth and microwave for 20 seconds to warm up. Spread a bit of refried beans down the center of the tortilla then add some shredded beef followed by cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and avocado dip. Serve with salsa and stuff yer face.

Stovetop Chili Mac

 

I made this on a Sunday night (a few weeks ago).  It was relatively quick and easy and tasted good.  Mark and I both liked it and I've filed away the recipe as a keeper.  I got it out of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. 

Stovetop Chili Mac

Ingredients:
Salt
Black Pepper
3/4 pound rigatoni or other tube-shaped pasta
1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced small
1 pound ground beef chuck (85% lean)
1 3/4 tsp ground cumin
1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1 small zucchini, sliced medium
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
2 ounces cheddar, grated (3/4 cup)

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and return to pot.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium.  Add garlic and onion and cook until onion is translucent, 3 minutes.

2. Increase heat to medium-high, add beef, and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Add cumin and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add corn and zucchini and cook until zucchini is crisp-tender, 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and juice, bring to a simmer, and cook until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Divide pasta among four bowls, top with meat sauce, and sprinkle with cheese. 

Side note:  I put a dollop of avocado dressing on top.  I made by this putting 4 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream, the juice of 1 lime, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1 avocado, and 1/8 tsp of crushed red pepper into a food processor and processing until smooth.

Chicken Tostadas and Avocado Dressing

Happy Friday everyone!  I'm so glad the weekend is almost here.  I plan to do some grocery shopping today and cook at least one dish this weekend.  Not sure what it's going to be yet, but I'll probably blog about it! 

I found this recipe in the September issue of Cooking Light.  Generally, I think Cooking Light recipes are hit or miss.  I'm debating whether or not to renew my subscription.  In any case, this recipe was a good one. Both Mark and I enjoyed it.  It was really tasty!

Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Dressing

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
Juice of 1 medium-sized lime
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ripe peeled avocado
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
4 (6-inch) corn tortillas
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced, with ribs and seeds removed
2 cups cooked, shredded, skinless boneless chicken breast
1 cup shredded iceburg lettuce
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

Directions:
1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add about 3/4 teaspoon oil to pan.  Cook tortilla 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy.  Repeat procedure with 2 1/4 teaspoons oil (or however much oil it takes) and remaining tortillas. Essentially, you want to pan fry (not deep-fry) the corn tortillas to make them golden brown and crispy.
3.  Add remaining oil to the pan.  Add garlic, and jalapeno; saute 1 1/2 minutes.  Add chicken; cook 2 minutes.  Place 1 tortilla with 1/2 cup chicken mixture, 1/4 cup lettuce, 2 tablespoons tomato, and 1 tablespoon cheese.  Top each serving with 3 tablespoons dressing

Taco Salad

I used leftovers from the Ground Beef and Bean Tacos to make a taco salad.  I've been really behind on blog posting, so this was from a number of weeks ago.  I basically chopped up some iceburg lettuce, added some shredded cheese, put the taco mixture on top with some salsa and a little bit of ranch dressing.  I also added a few crumbled tortilla chips.  I didn't have any sour cream, otherwise I would have added that too.  It was a pretty healthy way to enjoy some leftovers!

Guacamole

I love Tex-Mex and I love guacamole.  I've made it so many times I basically just know the ingredients and recipe in my head, but I will try my best to document it here.

If you've never worked with avocados before, you shouldn't be afraid to try them!  Picking a good one can be a little tricky, but once you buy 2 or 3 of them, you should be an expert.  I usually try to pick one with a darker skin color (as opposed to green).  The firmness of the avocado is your best guess as to how good or ripe it is on the inside. 

If it feels hard like an apple, it's not ripe yet.  You could buy it if you don't plan on using it for a few days.  To speed up the ripening process at home, put it in a paper bag and crumple the top of the bag to fold it closed.  It should ripen in about a day.  Check on it about every 12 hours or so and squeeze it gently to test ripeness.  If you plan on using the avocado the day you buy it, you should find one that gives just a little when you hold it in your hand and apply gentle pressure with your thumb.  Whatever you do, don't buy a real mushy one (one that gives easily and alot when you apply gentle pressure to it).  It is over-ripe and you risk it being all black on the inside.  And no one likes black guacamole.  

Guacamole

Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados
1/2 of a large tomato, diced
1/2 a medium onion, diced
fresh lime juice, to taste (1/2 to 1 lime)
salt, to taste
8 springs cilantro, rinsed and chopped

Directions:
Slice the avocados lengthwise around the seed.  Gently hit the blade of the knife on the seed and twist to remove the seed.  Scoop the avocado out of the skin with a spoon.  Depending on how soft the avocado is, use a fork or potato masher to mash the avocado.  Add the tomato, onion, lime juice, salt, and cilantro and gently mix all the ingredients together. 

Easy and delicious!

Ground Beef and Bean Tacos

I haven't been to the grocery store or cooked anything in a while now since there was Hurricane Irene and then a busy Labor Day weekend.  I wanted to make something that would be delicious and relatively quick.  I got the idea to make tacos, which I haven't made in years.  I went to my favorite cooking blog to look for a recipe and found one that I adapted slightly.  I used my own spices as opposed to buying a "taco seasoning" packet so I know exactly what is in there.  We also had my in-laws over for dinner and they enjoyed this dish too! 

Ground Beef and Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb of lean ground beef (I used 90/10)
1 medium white onion, diced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili pwder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 4oz can of diced green chiles
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
12 flour tortillas
Lettuce, chopped
Mexican Blend shredded cheese
Salsa
Guacamole

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the ground beef and break up the meat.  Add the onion and all the seasonings.  Stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.  Let it cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked through.  Add the black beans and green chiles to the beef mixture and stir until well combined.  Set aside. 

Stack the flour tortillas on a plate.  Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for about 30 seconds, until the tortillas are soft. 

Fill each tortilla with the beef and bean mixture, shredded cheese, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole. 

Creamy Chicken Baked Flautas

I saw this recipe on a blog I follow called For the Love of Cooking.  I thought it would be good with the green salsa I made earlier in the week, so I decided to give it a try.  Making this meal was especially nice because Mark and I made it together.  It made the prep time so much faster!  I adapted the recipe a little, using the ingredients I had on hand.  I actually thought this dish was just "OK".  Mark really liked it.  I'm not quite sure if I'll make it again yet...we'll see how the leftovers taste.  (Added note since I originally typed this:  I had it the next day as leftovers without the green salsa and with red salsa and sour cream instead.  I liked it much better.  I think it was the combination of having it with more flavorful salsa and I was really hungry when I came home from work).  One major perk of this dish is definitely how quick and easy it is to make.  My picture didn't turn out that great..I really need to buy some plain white plates.  I think that will photograph better.

I didn't put the measurements for the spices that I put on the chicken tenderloins because I just sprinkled a little bit of each onto the chicken before cooking.

Creamy Chicken Baked Flautas

Ingredients:
5 chicken tenderloins
Chili powder
Oregano
Salt
Black pepper
Cumin
2 small yellow onions (or 1 medium to large onion), diced
6 springs fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup Mexican Blend shredded cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
10 Flour tortillas
Cooking spray

Directions:
Sprinkle the following spices on the raw chicken: chili powder, oregano, salt, black pepper, and cumin.  Cook the chicken all the way through on a grill pan set to medium high heat, about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken from the heat and let the meat rest for about 5 minutes.  Shred the chicken using 2 forks to pull the meat apart.

In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, onion, cilantro, cream cheese, shredded cheese, and garlic powder until thoroughly mixed. 

Place 10 flour tortillas on a microwave-safe plate.  Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 25 seconds, until soft and pliable.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll the tortilla.  Place, seam side down, on the baking sheet.  After all the flautas are rolled and on the baking sheet, spray the tops of them with cooking spray.  Place in the oven for 10 minutes.  Turn each flauta over and bake for another 10 minutes until crispy and golden brown.  I put green salsa on mine, but it would also be good with red salsa or cheese sauce. 

Los Cucos Green Salsa

We've had a busy weekend that involved going into NYC twice, but I wanted to get this green salsa recipe posted before another week goes by.  So I based the recipe off the Ninfa's  green salsa recipe (you Houstonions know what I'm talking about), but I modified it a little.  It was SUPER easy to make! The recipe involves tomatillos.  I saw some green salsa recipes that involve broiling the tomatillos so that the skin gets charred, but broilers scare me, so I tried to stay away from those recipes.  I just feel like something that hot shouldn't be in your house.

Don't be intimidated if you've never worked with tomatillos before.  I was a tomatillo virgin until last week also.  Here's how I prepared them--First I just peeled and discarded the husk.  I wasn't expecting the stickiness of the skin underneath the husk.  I have no idea if this was necessary or not, but I tried to scrub off the stickiness with a vegetable brush under running water and then I took my dish towel and rubbed the outside of the tomatillos with it to try to remove some of the stickiness.  I wasn't super successful, so then I just gave up and started chopping and preparing them. 

Another side note--the recipe calls for some sour cream that you are supposed to stir in as the last step.  If you are watching calories, the salsa tasted awesome without the sour cream, so it could easily be cut out.  What I sometimes did was before I ate some was I put the amount of green salsa I wanted in a bowl and stirred about 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream.  But we actually ended up eating most of what I made without sour cream.  The sour cream just added a SLIGHT creaminess and tanginess but it was delicious either way.  Mark said this is the most delicious thing I've ever made, so that is quite a compliment!   

Green Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:
2 medium sized green tomatoes, coursely chopped
5 tomatillos, cleaned and chopped
1/2 medium onion, coursely chopped
1 jalapeno, stemmed and coursely chopped
3 small garlic cloves
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
8 sprigs cilantro
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

Combine chopped tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, and garlic in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil (tomatoes provide the liquid), reduce heat and simmer 10-15 minutes.  (I basically cooked it on medium high heat initially until most of the vegetables had softened, then I simmered, covered, on low heat for another 10 minutes.)  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Place tomato  mixture with the avocado, cilantro, and salt in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into a bowl and stir in sour cream. 

Makes about 3 cups.

Ingredients finished simmering

After blending with avocado, cilantro, and salt