Picadillo Tacos

When I was in college, I lived in an apartment with my older sister for two years. During those two years, my sister and I either had to attempt to cook occasionally or spend all of our limited funds eating greasy fast food - yum. Luckily, my sister knew her way around a kitchen a little better than I did and her boyfriend was even more well versed in the art of cooking than both of us combined. One of the recipes he taught us to make was Picadillo Tacos. So delicious and so easy. Perfect for a college student or a family trying to feed several mouths. Check it out!

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef

1 c white or yellow onion, diced

3 tsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 can whole kernel corn (15 oz), drained

2 c carrots, chopped

2 c yukon gold potatoes, chopped

2 cans tomato sauce (15 oz)

1 package flour tortillas (8 to 10 count)

1 tbsp olive oil

Serving size: 4 servings (8 tacos)

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes. 

Next, add the cumin and ground beef. Cook until the meat is no longer pink. 

Mix in the cans of tomato sauce, carrots and potato. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

 Add in the canned corn and let it simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender and sauce thickens (about 20 minutes). Be sure to stir occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Heat up tortillas and fill them with the picadillo mixture. Enjoy! 

Giada's Spicy Mint Beef

For Christmas last year, my boyfriend's mom bought me the Weeknights with Giada cookbook by Giada De Laurentiis. It has quickly become one of my favorites. There are so many tasty meals in this cookbook, but one that Colin and I particularly love is the Spicy Mint Beef recipe. We've made this Thai inspired dish at least twice a month since I got the cookbook. It's amazingly good. However, we have made a few changes to Giada's original recipe to fit our personal tastes so what I'm posting is the tweaked recipe. This cookbook is a great addition to any collection and this recipe is a really tasty meal to add to your repertoire. Hope you like it as much as we do!

Ingredients:

3 tbsp canola oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 serrano peppers, cored and diced

3 small shallots, diced

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced

1/4 c Thai fish sauce

1 tbsp regular soy sauce

dash of sugar

1 tbsp Sriracha sauce

1 lb skirt steak, thinly sliced

1 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped

1 c fresh mint leaves, loosely chopped

1 c Basmati or Jasmine rice

Serving size: 3 to 4 servings

Directions:

Prep all the veggies and thinly slice the skirt steak while still cold. Let the steak sit out for about 20 to 30 minutes or until room temperature. 

Begin cooking rice. (Rice takes about 20 minutes to cook and everything else only takes about 10). 

In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and serrano peppers and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. 

Add the shallots and bell pepper and cook for 1 minute.

Add the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and chili paste. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes. 

Add the steak and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes for medium. 

Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the basil and mint until wilted.

Place some rice on the plate and top with spicy mint beef. Enjoy!

Breakfast Tacos

My favorite thing about the weekend is waking up and actually having time to make and enjoy a good, hearty breakfast. During the week, I'm lucky if I have time to scarf down a bowl of yogurt and granola before rushing out the door. But on the weekends, everything is put on hold until I have a delicious, filling breakfast and a cup of black tea. Today, my breakfast of choice was chorizo, egg and cheese breakfast tacos. Yum! 

In Austin, breakfast tacos are everywhere. Before moving to Portland, I just assumed that this was a very normal breakfast item. However, my Rhode Island boyfriend and just about every Portlander I've met have recently informed me that breakfast tacos are a foreign concept to people in Northern states. If you're one of the apparently millions of people who have never eaten a breakfast taco before, please make these ASAP. Also, it is VERY important to mention that quality flour tortillas are a must. A dry, hard tortilla absolutely ruins this meal. The fluffier and softer the better. 

Ingredients:

1 package flour tortillas

3 large eggs

1/4 lb pork chorizo

1 tbsp milk

1/4 c cheese (Queso Fresco or Cotija recommended but Mexican blend will work, too)

Serving size: 2 servings (4 tacos)

Directions:

Start by whisking eggs and milk together in a bowl. Set aside. Next, brown the chorizo in a medium-sized skillet. It can be hard to tell when chorizo is cooked because it has a reddish color to it even when cooked, but about 5 minutes should be sufficient. 

Now, add the egg mixture. 

Scramble the egg and chorizo just like you would for normal scrambled eggs. 

Take the egg and chorizo off the heat. Next, heat up 4 flour tortillas. 

When the tortillas are done, add the egg and chorizo mixture to the tortilla. Top with the cheese of your choice and enjoy!

Beef & Bean Chili

When my boyfriend, Colin, and I plan out our weekly meals before the grocery store during the Fall and Winter months, there's a good chance that some form of chili makes the list. This past week, we opted for ground beef and bean chili. I fully understand that liking beans in my chili severely damages my Texas cred back home, but they're so delicious that I'm willing to take that risk. Here's how I make my beef and bean chili. 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (I like 90/10)
1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
1 cup white onion diced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cups water
2 packages of McCormick's chili mix (or other preferred brand)
garlic salt and ground black pepper, to taste
2 cans black beans (15.5 ounce), drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans (15.5 ounce), drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans (15.5 ounce), drained and rinsed
1 cup red bell pepper, diced (optional)
1/2 cup carrots, diced (optional)
1 cup shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese (optional)

Serving size: 5 to 6 servings


Directions:

First, heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion (and other vegetables if using them) and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. 

Add the ground beef and cook until it is no longer pink. Add the cumin and mix. 

Stir in the tomatoes, water, chili mix, garlic and pepper. Cook, partially covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, for 20 minutes. 

Season with garlic salt and pepper, to taste. Top with cheese or any other desired toppings. Enjoy!

Chicken Chalupas

A few weeks ago, my favorite grocery store opened a new location just down the street from my house. It is the most excited I've been since the sun finally decided to return to Portland back in July. It's only been open for about 3 weeks, but I think I've been at least a dozen times. On my latest grocery trip, I ran into the store in search of an affordable dinner idea for me and my boyfriend. I wanted something that was at least mildly healthy, inexpensive and would ideally provide leftovers for the next day. That's when chicken chalupas popped into my head. Being from South Texas, I was born with a love of Mexican food; however, living in Portland has brought me to the awareness that a delicious meal doesn't have to be slathered in grease. That's where my version of a chalupa comes in. Note: the volume of the ingredients is scaled to make 8 chalupas; however, only about 4 chalupa shells fit on a baking sheet at a time so either two batches can be made back-to-back, or you can make a few and save the chicken and veggies for a second round of chalupas later in the week which is how I like to do it. :)

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
2 tomatoes
2 cups green or romaine lettuce
2 cans refried beans
1 package of chalupa shells (8 count or more)
2 cups Mexican or cheddar cheese
salt and pepper, to taste 
1 tablespoon olive oil

Serving size: 4 servings (8 chalupas)


Directions:

First, I salt and pepper about a pound of boneless skinless chicken breast (2 to 3 pieces usually) and place them in a glass pan lightly drizzled with olive oil on the bottom. That will need to cook fully in a 350 degree oven. About 11 minutes per side tends to be about right for me. 

While the chicken cooks, I like to go ahead and wash and chop 2 tomatoes and about 2 cups of lettuce. I prefer green lettuce for this meal, but romaine will do just fine. 

When the chicken is finished, it will need to be shredded. There are two methods that I have found especially helpful when shredding chicken. The first (and one I use most often) simply requires you to use two forks to pull the chicken apart. The second method is just to put the chicken in a bowl and use a mixer to shred the chicken. The latter is really fast, but can be a bit messy and has to be done as soon as the chicken comes out of the oven so that it is still nice and hot. 

Now it's time for assembly.

Once the chicken is shredded, I line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil (it makes clean up a breeze). Then, I spread the refried beans on the chalupa shells and place them on the baking sheet. Next, I layer on some shredded chicken and grated cheese. I love the Mexican blend cheese for this meal but Monterrey Jack or Mild Cheddar are both great, too. Place the baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes, basically just until the cheese melts. 

Now, just add the lettuce and tomatoes and enjoy! Simple and easy to throw together the next day if you have left over ingredients.