Taco Tuesday

It's time for another Taco Tuesday. Today's offerings include Grilled Steak Tacos W/Cherry Tomato-Avocado Salsa and Chipotle Quinoa Sweet Potato Tacos w/Roasted Cranberry Pomegranate Salsa. Enjoy!

STEAK CARNITAS MEAT IN THE CROCKPOT

I originally found this at NoshOn.it; the link to this is at http://noshon.it/recipes/crockpot-steak-carnitas-tacos/ and takes you . (Bless this Mess, run by “food lover, chicken wrangler, house builder, goodness seeker, mom of 5” Melissa Griffiths, looks like a really good place for more recipes. Check it out!)

This recipe Serves 6-8.

Ingredients

For the spice rub:

1 T. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin or smoked cumin

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 lbs flank steak

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Serving Options:

Corn tortillas

Shredded lettuce

Grated cheese

Tomato

Sour cream

Salsa

Instructions

Mix all of the spice together in a small bowl for the spice rub. Rub the spices into each side of the steak, using all of the mixture.

Place the spice rubbed-steak in the bottom of the crock pot. Place the chopped onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno on top of the steak. Cook for on low for 7 to 8 hours.

After the cooking time has lapsed, remove the steak from the crock pot and shred with two forks. Serve immediately or return to the crock pot for a few hours until you are ready to eat.

Serve on corn tortillas with your favorite topping.

Notes

Flank steak is generally a tougher, and therefore cheaper piece of meat. It's a great candidate for the crock pot. I actually have used everything from elk steaks, lamb, and pork and loved them all in this recipe. Use what you have on hand or what's on sale... if it's a leaner cut of meat you may need to add a bit of beef stock at the end to make sure it doesn't dry out before cooking.

CHEESY BREAKFAST TACOS

This is from Nicole Hopper on Food & Wine. The recipe begins, "Chorizo, eggs, peppers, and lots of cheese make these breakfast tacos perfect for the weekend."

Nicole goes on to write, "Imagine those crispy little bits of cheese that ooze out of your quesadilla or grilled cheese and get all crispy and toasty in the skillet. That cheese skirt gives these breakfast tacos an extra toasty crunch."

Active Time: 55 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Servings: 4; Yield: 8 tacos

To view this online, as well as reading the rest of what Nicole has to say about these yummy tacos, go to https://www.foodandwine.com/cheesy-breakfast-tacos-8572475.

Ingredients

8 large eggs

1/4 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon oil, such as canola

9 ounces fresh Mexican-style chorizo, casings removed (about 4 links) (from 1 [14-ounce] package)

1 small (6-ounce) red bell pepper, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)

2 medium scallions (about 1 ounce total), thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)

1 medium (1 ounce) jalapeño, stemmed, seeded if desired, and finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

Fresh cilantro sprigs and thinly sliced jalapeño half-moons, for garnish

12 ounces pepper Jack cheese, shredded (about 3 cups), divided

8 taco-size (5-inch diameter) flour tortillas, divided

Chopped fresh cilantro and hot sauce, for serving

Directions

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Add chorizo, bell pepper, scallions, and chopped jalapeño; cook, stirring occasionally and breaking meat into smaller pieces, until chorizo has rendered and vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, and pour in egg mixture; cook, stirring and folding often with a flexible spatula to form large curds, until mixture is softly set, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; cover to keep warm, and set aside.

While eggs cook, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium. Arrange a few cilantro sprigs and jalapeño slices in the center of skillet. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over top, forming an approximately 6-inch circle (it’s OK if there are gaps or holes). Cook, undisturbed, until cheese begins to bubble and is fully melted, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Place 1 tortilla on cheese, pressing down gently to adhere (edges of the cheese will not be covered by the tortilla); sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the cheese evenly over tortilla. Cook, undisturbed, until bottom cheese layer is golden brown and top cheese layer is mostly melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; let cool slightly, about 30 seconds. Spoon a rounded 1/3 cup egg mixture onto one side of tortilla, then use a thin spatula to get underneath the crispy cheese layer; fold tortilla in half over filling. Transfer taco to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel, and return to medium heat. Repeat procedure with remaining cheese, tortillas, and egg mixture. (If desired, to speed things up, once eggs are finished cooking in large skillet, wash skillet and use both pans to cook 2 tortillas at once).

To serve, sprinkle with chopped cilantro and drizzle with hot sauce.

BUFFALO STYLE TACOS

Makes 8 servings

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=1341

View recipe with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1341.shtml

Ingredients

1 (16-ounce) package JENNIE-O Lean Ground Turkey

1/3 cup hot pepper wing sauce

8 hard corn taco shells, heated as specified on package

1 cup shredded lettuce

2 tomatoes, diced

1 avocado, sliced

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing

Directions

Cook turkey as specified on package. Always cook to well-done, 165F as measured by a meat thermometer.

Add hot pepper sauce. Stir to combine.

Fill tacos shells with lettuce, turkey mixture, tomatoes and avocado.

Drizzle with blue cheese dressing.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 220; Protein: 14 g; Fat: 13 g; Sodium: 260 mg; Cholesterol: 45 mg; Saturated Fat: 4 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugars: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 13 g

CHIPOTLE QUINOA SWEET POTATO TACOS WITH ROASTED CRANBERRY POMEGRANATE SALSA

I recently discovered Tieghan Gerard’s website, Half Baked Harvest. Some very yummy-looking recipes, including this one.

Cook Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 a small sweet onion

1 clove garlic minced or grated

1 large sweet potato chopped (peel if desired)

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa)

1 leaves can diced tomatoes (Optional; I normally these out, but sometimes add them)

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 canned chipotle chilies minced

1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo from the chipotle chili can

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cayenne or to your taste

1 cup cooked black beans if using canned drain and rinse them

1 lime juiced

1 small bunch cilantro

6-8 four tortillas corn tortillas (warmed) or hard shell tacos (personally my family prefers hard shell, but all of them are good!), warmed

1 avocado sliced or diced, for topping

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese for topping

cotija cheese crumbled, for topping

Roasted Cranberry Pomegranate Salsa

12 ounces fresh cranberries

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 canned chipotle chili chopped

1 lime zested + juiced

1 clove garlic minced or grated

1 jalapeno chopped and seed removed if desired

the arils from 1 pomegranate (learn how to deseed a pomegranate here)

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To make the salsa: Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Place the cranberries, brown sugar, chipotle chili, lime zest + juice, garlic, jalapeño and a pinch of salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together until the cranberries are evenly coated. Place in the oven and roast until the cranberries burst and release their juices, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and and let cool 10 minutes. Then add the pomegranate arils and toss well. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Set aside and keep at room temperature.

While the cranberries are roasting start the tacos. Heat the olive oil over a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions and sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Cover the skillet and let cook until the sweet potatoes are fork tender, but not mushy, stirring once or twice for about 15 minutes. Once the sweet potatoes are fork tender, add the garlic and saute 30 seconds. Then crank up the heat to medium-high (adding more oil if needed) and add the quinoa. Let the quinoa get crispy and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water, tomatoes (if using), the chili powder, chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar and cayenne, stir to thoroughly combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the water has completely evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the black beans, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and the lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.

To assemble the tacos, place some of the quinoa in a tortilla or shell. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, a large dollop the the roasted cranberry salsa, crumbled catija cheese and fresh chopped cilantro. Take in their beauty and then EAT!

GRILLED STEAK TACOS WITH CHERRY TOMATO-AVOCADO SALSA

This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Melissa wrote, “In this supremely summery taco recipe, chile-rubbed grilled steak is topped with a spicy tomato-avocado salsa before being rolled into warm corn tortillas. Grilling the onions, garlic and jalapeño for the salsa adds a concentrated sweetness, while lime zest keeps everything sharp and bright. If you don’t have access to a grill, feel free to use your broiler.”

Yield: 8 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Steak:

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 1/2 teaspoons New Mexican or other mild chile powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced

Finely grated zest of 1 lime (cut lime into wedges for serving)

2 1/2 pounds skirt steak (usually 2 steaks)

For the Salsa:

1 white onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch-thick slices

2 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

2 jalapeños

1 quart cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, more to taste

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

Corn or flour tortillas, for serving

Sliced radishes, for serving

Mexican crema or sour cream, for serving (optional)

Preparation

Prepare the steak: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, chile powder, coriander, cumin, garlic and lime zest. Rub mixture all over the steaks, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or preferably overnight.

Prepare the salsa: Light the grill or heat to medium-high (or heat the broiler). Grill onion, garlic and 1 jalapeño until tender and charred on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes (or place on a broiler pan and broil). Remove from heat until cool enough to handle, then roughly chop onions, peel garlic and remove seeds and stem from jalapeño.

Transfer grilled onion, garlic and jalapeño to a blender or mini food processor. Halve the fresh jalapeño and seed it, if desired, then add it to the blender. Process to a chunky paste. Scrape into a serving bowl and toss with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, lime juice and salt.

Add more charcoal to the grill, if needed, and grill the steaks until done to taste, about 2 minutes per side for rare (or broil). Let meat rest on a cutting board covered with foil for at least 7 minutes. Meanwhile, grill or broil the tortillas until warm.

To serve, slice the meat across the grain, and serve with the warm tortillas, radishes, lime wedges, salsa and crema. Let people assemble their own tacos at the table.

MEXICAN TACO SALAD

This recipe comes from FamilyTime. Serves: varies; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: Varies

To view this online, go to http://www.familytime.com/recipe/showrecipe.aspx?recipeid=13446.

Ingredients

1 pound beef or turkey, ground

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup ORTEGA® Thick & Chunky Salsa

3/4 cup water

1 packet (1.25-oz.) ORTEGA® Taco Seasoning Mix

1 can (15-oz.) kidney or pinto beans

1 can (4-oz.) ORTEGA® Diced Green Chiles

6 tortilla shells, or 3 cups of tortilla chips

6 cups lettuce, shredded

3/4 cup nacho and taco blend cheese, shredded

Directions

Cook beef and onion until beef is browned; drain. Stir in salsa, water and seasoning mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lwo; cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in beans and chiles.

Layer ingredients as follows in each shell: 1 cup lettuce, 3/4 cup meat mixture, 2 tablespoons cheese, guacamole and tomatoes for garnish. Serve with ORTEGA® Thick & Smooth Taco Sauce, if desired.