Taco Night!

Ingredients

Taco "Meat":
1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup Boca Crumbles
about 1/4 packet of taco seasoning
1 small jalapeno, diced (optional)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tbs of water

Fixings:
1 tbs torn cilantro leaves
4-6 sliced grape tomatoes
1/2 cup cabbage/lettuce
1-2 green onions
sour cream (optional)
salsa
cheese (optional)
black olives, diced
Taco shells or tortillas, warmed

Avocado Sauce:
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup milk
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup sour cream

 

How to make Taco Night!

Josh LOVES taco night, and this is a great meal that can be made together.  I usually have him make the "meat" part, and I cut up whatever veggies we are going to use. 

For this recipe, you can really make it your own.  Feel free to use soyrizo instead of crumbles or omit the dairy products for some awesome vegan tacos.  This makes about 7 small tacos, which is just enough to satisfy us both (or 3-4 regular people).

For the crumbles, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the broken up crumbles, onion, and jalapeno.  Saute for about 2 minutes and then add the water and seasoning.  Feel free to add more water if needed.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until heated through.

Assemble the tacos with whatever fixings you are using.  We tend to put the meat on the bottom and spread the sour cream down the sides.

If using the avocado spread, just puree all of the ingredients for this together and put into a squirt bottle.  This will keep for a few days in the fridge.

Enjoy!!

Potato Salad with Peas

This was a HUGE hit for fourth of July.  People really liked the how tangy is was compared to other potato salads that have a lot of mayonnaise.

Ingredients

2.5 lbs Red potatoes
2 stalks of celery
4 green onions
8 ounces of sour cream
2 tbs mayonnaise
1.5 cups frozen, thawed peas
1 tbs stone ground mustard
S&P

How to make Potato Salad with Peas

Boil the potatoes with the skin on until al dente.  Set aside and let cool for a bit.

Then, cute the potatoes into bite-size pieces and mix with the other ingredients, also chopped into bit-size pieces.  Chill in the fridge for at least and hour to let the flavors come together.

Serve and enjoy!

Breakfast Burritos

 

Ingredients

2 tortillas, warmed
1 avocado, sliced
1 large potato, thinly sliced
3 eggs, beaten
1 tbs milk
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese or Asiago
1/2 cup arugula
1 green onion
1 1/2 tbs oil, divided
1 pinch granulated garlic
salsa
cilantro
sour cream
S&P

 

How to make Breakfast Burrito

This is the perfect way to use up some of those ingredients you have in the fridge on a night that you want some simple, delicious, filling dinner.

In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbs oil over medium heat.  Add potato, salt, pepper, and garlic and saute for about 8 minutes or until tender.  Transfer to a paper towel and blot off extra oil.

Heat remaining 1/2 tbs of oil in the same pan, and add beaten eggs with milk and cheese beaten into them.  Add salt and pepper and a pinch more garlic.  Heat evenly over low heat, scrapping the pan with a heat resistant spatula as the bottom warms.  Heat through.

Assemble potatoes, eggs, arugula, cilantro, onion, cilantro, salsa, and sour cream on warmed tortillas and serve hot.

Healthier Nachos

 

Ingredients

Tortilla Chips
1/2 cup sliced tomatoes
About 10 sliced black olives
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup purple cabbage
1/4 cup spinach
1 1/2 green onion
1 jalapeno
1/2 cup fresh grilled corn
1/4 bunch of roughly chopped cilantro
1/3 cup Nacho cheese sauce
3 tbs salsa
3 tbs sour cream
1 tsp cumin

How to make Healthier Nachos

This is just an updated version of my nachos that manages to get a few more vegetables in there!

To Make:
Preheat the oven to 375F degrees.

In a medium size casserole dish, spread an even layer of chips lining the bottom of the dish.  Drizzle nacho cheese sauce evenly over the chips.  Then, sprinkle some of the tomatoes, olives, sliced onions, corn, jalapenos, and cilantro over the chips.

Then add another layer of chips.  Pour the rest of the cheese sauce over these chips.  Then sprinkle the rest of the tomatoes, olives, corn, jalapenos, and the tsp of ground cumin over the chips as well. 

Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese sauce is hot.  Top with salsa (see recipe), spinach, cabbage, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and sour cream.

Enchiladas Verdes

 

Ingredients

5 large flour tortillas
1 cup brown rice
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup cabbage
1.5 cups black olives
2 cups enchilada verde sauce
2 tbs oil
1 green chili
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 cup thawed frozen corn
about 8 strips of vegetarian chicken strips
2 green onions
1/2 cup cilantro
2 tsp ground cumin
sour cream

How to make Enchiladas Verdes with olives

This recipe is delicious and worth the extra effort.  If you eat meat, you can use real chicken strips.  If you are vegan, you can omit the sour cream.

The rice:
Drain about 1 cup of juice off of the tomatoes.  (I like to use tomatoes that also have chilies in them).  Add about 1/2 cup of the olive juice and 1/2 cup of water.  This is the stock in which the rice will be cooked.  Add this to the rice and bring to a boil.  Add 1 tsp of cumin, a few leaves of cilantro, and a few slices of the green onion.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until soft.

The green chili mixture:
Heat oil in a small skillet and add diced onions.  Cook for about 1 minute and then add the chicken and most of the diced green chili.  (I like to reserve some of it to top off the enchiladas).  Cook until the chicken had a nice crust and the chilies and onions are soft.  Then, add the corn and cumin and cook until heated.

Enchiladas:
Spread the rice on the tortillas.  Top with some of the chili mixture, 1/5 of the cabbage, olives, cilantro, and green onions.  Spread some sour cream on the tortilla and roll closed.  Place it in an oven safe baking dish.  Repeat this 5 times (or for however many enchiladas you are making).  Top with enchilada sauce, extra olives, green onions, and cilantro.  (You can also top it with cheese, if you like).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa.