Taco Tuesday

It's time for another Taco Tuesday. Today's offerings include Cheesy Ground Beef Tacos and Ice Cream Oreo Taco Bowls. Enjoy!

EGG AND POTATO BREAKFAST TACOS

This is from the Food Network, and begins, "Quick and easy to assemble, it makes sense why tacos are enjoyed during any time of the day in Mexico. Roast potatoes with poblano peppers and onions until golden brown, then enjoy on warm tortillas with buttery scrambled eggs."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Makes 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/egg-and-potato-breakfast-tacos-3363842.

Ingredients

8 large eggs

1 teaspoon chili powder

Kosher salt

2 Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 pound), diced

1 onion, diced

1 poblano chile pepper, thinly sliced

Cooking spray

3 plum tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons jalapeno hot sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

12 white corn tortillas

Directions

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 475 degrees F. Separate 1 egg; set the yolk aside. Whisk the egg white, chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl until frothy. Add the potatoes, onion and poblano; toss. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; spread out the vegetables, then coat with more cooking spray. Bake, flipping once, until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons cilantro and 1 tablespoon hot sauce in a bowl; season with salt and set aside.

Whisk the reserved egg yolk and 7 eggs with 1/4 cup cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl until frothy. Melt the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring, until just set, about 5 minutes.

Toast the tortillas in a dry skillet or wrap in a damp paper towel and warm in the microwave. Toss the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and 1 tablespoon hot sauce with the vegetable mixture. Divide the vegetables and scrambled eggs among the tortillas. Serve with the tomato salsa.

CHEESY GROUND BEEF TACOS

This is from Lindsay Funston at Delish. Lindsay wrote, "Enjoy the perfect combination of cheesy and beefy goodness with these unreal tacos. We promise you'll be so obsessed with this zesty, flavorful filling, you'll want to eat it with a spoon. When a taco craving strikes, nothing else will do!"

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a46606/cheesy-ground-beef-tacos-recipe/.

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. ground beef

1 (15-oz.) can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp. taco seasoning

kosher salt

2 c. shredded cheddar or pepper jack

8 Small flour tortillas

Sliced green onions, for serving

Sour cream, for serving

Directions

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion until soft, 6 minutes. Add beef and cook until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes more, then add tomatoes, black beans, and taco seasoning and season with salt. Stir until combined. Add cheese and stir until completely melted.

Spoon mixture into flour tortillas and fold. Garnish with green onions and serve with sour cream.

IRISH TACOS

This is from Sam Sifton at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Sam wrote, "You can certainly eat corned beef with boiled cabbage and carrots, but it can be a great deal more exciting to pile the shredded meat — ruddy pink, salty, fatty and meltingly sweet — into warm flour tortillas, then top it with a bright, crunchy, slightly fiery cabbage slaw. The contrast between the soft and the crisp, the salt and the sweet, is fantastic — particularly if you adorn each taco with a few pickled jalapeños and, perhaps, an additional swipe of mayonnaise. It’s not fusion cooking, nor appropriation. It’s just the fact that everything tastes good on a warm tortilla."

Time: 30 minutes; Yield 6 to 8 servings

This was featured in "What if You Could Make Great Corned Beef?", and can be found online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018643-irish-tacos.

Note: Take time to read the article; very interesting!

Ingredients

2 to 2-1/2 pounds corned beef (see recipe)

1 small head of green cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced into julienne

1 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1-1/2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce, or to taste

12 to 16 flour tortillas, warmed

Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños

Preparation

Warm the corned beef in its cooking liquid, or wrap it in foil and set on a sheet pan in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes or so.

Make the coleslaw: Mix cabbage and carrots together in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt or sour cream, cider vinegar, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Pour half the sauce over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat thoroughly. Season to taste. Reserve remaining sauce.

When the corned beef is hot, remove from liquid or foil and use two forks to shred it. Serve with the warmed tortillas, sliced jalapeños, the slaw, remaining white sauce and some hot pepper sauce.

CHOCOLATE TACO MINI TACO BOWLS

This is from Old El Paso, and begins, "A chocolate taco? Delicious! Crispy, sugar-coated mini bowls are dipped into chocolate and chopped peanuts and filled with ice cream for an absolutely addictive version of an ice cream truck favorite. Here's how to make the chocolate dessert tacos of your dreams!"

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes; Makes 10 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/chocolate-taco-mini-taco-bowls.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, melted

10 tortilla bowls from 1 package (5.1 oz) Old El Paso™ Flour Soft Tortilla Mini Bowls (12 Count)

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon shortening

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons finely chopped cocktail peanuts

1-1/2 cups vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup chocolate sauce

1/4 cup caramel topping

Preparation

Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with foil. Lightly brush melted butter on all sides of each bowl. Place bowls on cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until browned on edges and firm to the touch. Cool 15 minutes.

In medium microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 60 to 90 seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth.

Place 1/2 cup of the chopped peanuts on plate. Hold baked bowls by the bottom, and dip each one into melted chocolate, covering top rim of bowl. Dip and roll top rim into chopped peanuts to coat. Refrigerate bowls about 10 minutes or until coating is set.

Fill each bowl with 2 small scoops (about 1 tablespoon) ice cream; drizzle with chocolate sauce and caramel topping, and garnish with remaining 3 tablespoons peanuts.

Expert Tips

Chopped toasted almonds are a nice alternative to the chopped peanuts in this chocolate taco recipe.

Any flavor of ice cream and sauces will work well for these chocolate-dipped ice cream tacos, so feel free to fill them with your favorite combination.

Exchanges: 1 Starch; 1 Other Carbohydrate; 3 Fat

Carbohydrate Choice: 2

ICE CREAM OREO TACO BOWLS

This is from Old El Paso, and begins, "The next time you’re craving a chocolate-dipped, cookie-coated, over-the-top, ice cream-filled extravaganza of a dessert, reach for this recipe. These mini ice cream bowls are positively heavenly."

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/ice-cream-oreo-taco-bowls.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 package (8 count) Old El Paso™ Soft Tortilla Bowls

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon shortening

8 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, crushed (about 1 cup)

4 cups cookies & cream ice cream

1/2 cup hot fudge sauce, warmed

8 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, whole

Preparation

Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly brush melted butter on all sides of each tortilla bowl.

Place bowls on large cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until browned on edges and firm to the touch. Cool 15 minutes.

In medium microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 60 to 90 seconds or until mixture can be stirred smooth.

Place 1/2 cup of the crushed cookies on plate. Hold baked bowls by the bottom, and dip each one into melted chocolate, covering top rim of bowl. Dip and roll top rim into crushed cookies to coat. Refrigerate bowls about 10 minutes or until coating is set.

Fill each bowl with 2 scoops ice cream; drizzle with hot fudge sauce, and garnish with remaining crushed cookies sprinkled over ice cream and 1 whole cookie inserted upright into ice cream.

Expert Tips

We used cookies & cream ice cream in this recipe, but if you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice cream, feel free to make a substitution.

If you like a little caramel with your chocolate, you can add a drizzle of warm caramel sauce along with the hot fudge.

Crush cookies quickly and easily by placing them in a food-storage bag and pounding gently with a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 3 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 1/2 Milk; 3 1/2 Fat

Carbohydrate Choice: 4

FIDEOS SECOS TACOS

This is from Claudette Zepeda at Food & Wine. For this recipe, Claudette wrote, "These griddled tacos are filled with fideos secos, a Mexican dish of thin spaghetti cooked in a chile-based tomato sauce until the pasta has absorbed the flavor and rich red color of the sauce."

Active Time: 40 mins; Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins; Yield: 14 tacos

To view this online, go to https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/fideos-secos-tacos.

Ingredients

Chile Base

2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 dried chipotle chile, stemmed and seeded

1-1/2 cups boiling water

1-1/4 cups tomato sauce (such as Pomì)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Fideo Filling

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1/2 pound fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed

8 ounces uncooked fideo (spaghettini)

2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

1 dried chile de árbol

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

3 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 3/4 cup)

14 (6-inch) fresh corn tortillas

1 cup Mexican crema

1 large avocado (about 8 ounces), sliced

5 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1-1/4 cups)

Directions

Make the chile base

Heat a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium. Add chiles; cook, turning occasionally, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Transfer chiles to a blender; add 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes. Add tomato sauce, cilantro, and salt. Process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Set aside.

Make the fideo filling

Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add chorizo, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crumbled and browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in fideo, garlic, bay leaf, and chile de árbol. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fideo is lightly toasted and turning opaque, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in chile base. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until fideo is tender and liquid is fully absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once after 8 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf and chile de árbol. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl, and stir in cilantro. Let cool 20 minutes. Stir in Monterey Jack cheese.

Top each tortilla with 1/3 cup fideo filling; fold each tortilla in half, pressing gently. Heat a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high. Working in batches, toast tacos until tortilla is lightly charred and filling is warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Top tacos with Mexican crema, avocado slices, and crumbled queso fresco. Garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.

Make Ahead

Chile base can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Notes

Use fresh tortillas; they’re less likely to tear or crack when charring.