Recipes Cooking: taco

Showing posts with label taco. Show all posts

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Crunchy Corn Meal Coated Tilapia Taco

If you have not yet tried a fish taco and you think it sounds a little strange, try these and I am certain that you will become a fan! This technique is also a great way to incorporate more fish into the weekly dinner rotation and, because they are so similar to fried chicken tenders, chances are your kids will like them too!

Fish tacos are frequently topped with crunchy cabbage and thinly sliced red onion. The combination of the texture of the cabbage and bite of the onion is a great combination with the fried fish. I thinly shredded 1/2 cabbage and added it to a bowl with 1/2 red onion, also sliced thin. In addition, I made a batch of roasted tomato, onion and garlic and serrano pepper salsa. Simply cut vegetables into half or quarters depending on their size and place them on a foil lined baking sheet. Season with a little canola oil, salt and pepper and place under the broil until they are soft and charred on the edges. Let cool until easily handled and place them in a food processor with fresh lime juice, salt and cilantro. Process until well incorporated.

For the star of the fish tacos, the fish, I used a tilapia filet which works perfectly here because it is a mild, firm, white fish, but if you have another you prefer such as cod, grouper or even catfish, feel free to substitute. I set up a breading station with flour, 1 beaten egg and corn meal/flour. Tilapia filets have a natural score down the middle which makes them easy to cut in half creating a more manageable "fish finger" to fry. Dredge each fish finger in the flour, then dunk in the beaten egg, and finally coat each piece with the cornmeal/flour. Fry in about an inch or two of hot oil for about 5 minutes or so on each side or until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on a paper towel and immediately season with sea salt.

When it is time to assemble the tacos, warm a flour tortilla over a gas burner set to low until warm, or in a dry warm frying pan. Place the crispy fried fish on the flour tortilla and top with the cabbage, red onion and salsa. A dollop of sour cream finishes it off.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Venison Taco in a Bag

There are certain foods that I hesitate to eat in public, and crunchy tacos are one of them. They fall apart in your hands, the filling always finds a way onto your (white) shirt, the grease and salsa dribble all over the place, and lets not forget the mountain of napkins that accumulate before your eyes. Its completely barbaric-- or maybe its just me.

For all those reasons, this is why I love this recipe. You get all the flavors of a crunchy taco, but in a disposable, no-mess tortilla chip bag. Its perfect for dinner, lunch, parties, tailgating and yes, even deer camp! For me, its a nice change from all those hotdogs and hamburgers I normally eat at outdoor gatherings.

This hunting season, mix up your camp menu and try Venison Taco in a Bag. Its easy and quick, perfect for all your impatient and hungry hunting friends after they come back from sitting at their blinds. They could even take the bags with them to eat while hunting, but Im not sure how the deer in the area would feel about being able to catch the scent of their late uncle buck again-- gloriously wafting in the autumn breeze like once before, but this time accompanied by an unsettling bouquet of chili powder and paprika. -Jen

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of ground venison
- 1 tbs. of vegetable oil
- 1 tbs. of chili powder
- 1/2 tbs. of ground cumin
- 1 tsp. of cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. of Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 3/4 tsp. of paprika
- 1/2 tsp. of ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp. of dried oregano
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup of water
- 4 single-serving bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos
- Taco fixings: shredded cabbage, crumbled queso fresco cheese, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced onions, diced avocado, salsa, etc.

1. In a small container, combine taco spices: chili powder, cumin, cornstarch, salt, paprika, coriander, oregano and cayenne pepper. Mix well and set aside.

2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbs. of vegetable oil over medium heat. Add ground venison and cook until browned. The great thing about using venison is that you dont have to worry about the hassle of draining out any fat. Considerable lower in fat, cholesterol and calories, ground venison is a whole lot healthier than ground beef.

3. Next, stir in taco mix seasoning and 1/2 cup of water. Simmer until almost all liquids have absorbed and evaporated, stirring often. Then take off heat and adjust seasonings. Keep in mind all the salt thats already in the chips and cheese.

4. Snip off one side of each Doritos bag.

Then add some venison taco meat and all your favorite taco fixings in the bag.

Voila! Now you have a Venison Taco in a Bag. Enjoy!

Friday, February 28, 2014

Taco Salad with Amys Chunky Salsa

I am not one who desires a gadget for every single individual task to be done in the kitchen. I definitely prefer a more old school multitasking approach when it comes to the functionality of culinary tools. However, that doesnt mean that I dont appreciate a nifty device when it comes along. A girl can certainly take some help when she can get it! So, knowing my obsession with all things taco, I could not wait to dine on my first home made taco salad with the help of my new tortilla bowl mold. Though the multi-functional use may not be evident just yet, it definitely served a desired purpose. Actually, now that I think about it, I absolutely see a gigantic taco salad shell shaped cupcake in my future.

To form the tortilla bowls I brushed a corn tortilla lightly with canola oil and pressed it in the mold. After preheating the oven to 400 degrees, I baked the shell for about 10 minutes until it became golden brown and crunchy. After unmolding onto a plate I filled it with shredded iceberg lettuce, seasoned taco meat, colby/monterey jack cheese, Amys chunky salsa, sour cream and some hot sauce. Scrumptious! Oh, just so you know, its the chunky salsa that MAKES it!!!

Amys Chunky Salsa
1 avocado, diced
1 mango, diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 small can black olives, drained
1 tomato, diced
pickled jalapeno slices, to taste
juice 1/2 lime
salt
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Great topping for taco salad, tacos, enchiladas or just by the spoonful!