Taco Tuesday

It's Taco Tuesday, time to check out yummy taco recipes. Today's offerings include Spicy Shrimp Tacos and (are you ready for this?) Ice Cream Tacos. Enjoy!

SAUCY & STICKY SWEET POTATO TACOS WITH CREAMY AVOCADO CILANTRO SAUCE

This comes from Laura, whose site, The First Mess, is absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend checking it out! Go ahead, I’ll wait…

This recipe serves 3 - 4, and can be found at http://thefirstmess.com/2018/04/11/sticky-sweet-potato-tacos-vegan-recipe/.

Headnote: Laura wrote, “I like to get the sweet potato shreds as long as possible, so I grate it with the long side of the vegetable striking the large holes of the box grater.

“You could use fresh or pickled jalapeno in the avocado cilantro sauce! I’ve tried the sauce with both.

“You could use collard leaves instead of tortillas for a grain-free option. As a bonus, they tend to hold a lot more filling than a standard tortilla :)

“If you want to save some time by using a jarred BBQ sauce, you’ll need a scant cup of it for this recipe.”

Date BBQ Sauce Ingredients

1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)

2 teaspoons gluten-free tamari

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon grainy mustard

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste

water to thin

Creamy Avocado Cilantro Sauce Ingredients

1 medium, ripe avocado

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons tahini

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)

1 small jalapeno, seeded & diced

1/2 cup filtered water

sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste

For the Tacos

1 teaspoon heat-tolerant oil, such as avocado

1 shallot, fine dice

1 medium sweet potato, peeled & grated on the large holes of a box grater

sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste

corn tortillas, warmed (or collard leaves, see headnote)

3 cups shredded cabbage

Make the date BBQ sauce. In a medium saucepan, combine the dates, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, tamari, tomato paste, mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and then simmer until dates are soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer mixture to an upright blender and blend on high until smooth, adding water by the tablespoon if necessary. Scrape the date BBQ sauce into a small bowl and set aside. Rinse the blender pitcher.

Make the creamy avocado cilantro sauce. Peel and pit the avocado. Back in the upright blender, combine the avocado, cilantro, garlic, tahini, lime juice, jalapeno, water, salt, and pepper. Blend the mixture on high until completely smooth, adding more water by the tablespoon if necessary. Scrape the avocado cilantro sauce into a separate container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot to the skillet and saute until slightly softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the grated sweet potatoes and stir. Season the filling with salt and pepper. Keep stirring until sweet potato shreds start softening and collapsing into each other, about 4 minutes. Add a splash of water if you notice some sticking.

Once sweet potato shreds are soft, add the date BBQ sauce to the skillet and stir to combine. The filling should look quite saucy at this point. If it seems dry, add another splash of water. Keep stirring until the filling is saucy, sticking to the sweet potatoes, and piping hot, about 3-4 minutes.

Divide the sweet potato filling among the warm tortillas. Top each sticky sweet potato taco with shredded cabbage and plenty of the avocado cilantro sauce. Serve tacos with extra lime wedges if you like.

SPICY MOROCCAN CHICKPEA TACOS

This one, also from Vegetarian Times, begins, "For a switch from corn or flour tortillas, try these tacos wrapped in small, warmed whole pita rounds." Yield: Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)

1 6-oz. pkg. chicken-style vegetarian strips, such as Lightlife Smart Strips

1 tsp. fennel seeds

1/2 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and lightly mashed with fork

2 small carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup golden raisins

1 Tbs. harissa

1/3 cup grape tomatoes, quartered

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 3 minutes, or until softened. Add chicken-style strips and fennel seeds, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in chickpeas, carrots, raisins, harissa, and 1/3 cup water. Cook 1 minute, or until sauce thickens slightly but carrots remain crisp. Stir in tomatoes, and immediately remove from heat. Fill tortillas with chickpea mixture, and serve warm.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 269; Protein: 12 g; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 37 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 388 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 10 g

LENTIL TACOS

This was on the Runner’s World website (from November 3, 2006), and begins, “This Mexican dish is so savory, you'll never miss the meat.”

View this online at https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a20784984/lentil-tacos/.

Ingredients

1 cup onions, diced

1/4 cup celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup brown lentils, dry

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup water or vegetable broth

3 tablespoons dried black currants or raisins, minced

1 cup salsa, plus additional for topping

8 6-inch corn tortillas

shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes

shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Directions

In a large frying pan over medium heat, sauted onions, celery, and garlic in the olive oil for five minutes or until vegetables are soft. Stir in the lentils, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Cook for one minute. Add the broth and raisins. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender (add more water or broth as needed). Remove the lid and cook an additional 10 minutes (until lentils are thick), stirring often. Fold in the salsa. Wrap the tortillas in a damp white cotton towel and microwave on high for one minute. Spoon the lentil mixture among the tortillas. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

Serves four.

Calories: 390; Fat: 6 g; Carbs: 69 g; Protein: 18 g

SPICY SHRIMP TACOS

I found this, along with five other taco recipes, on the Runner’s World website (posted on June 26, 2018), though it’s originally from the Prevention test kitchen.

This one begins, “Flavored with a zesty spread and cool pickled vegetables, these shrimp tacos have half the saturated fat and twice the protein of a fried fish taco.”

Serves: 4; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 25 minutes

This can be found at https://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-weight-loss/a21946015/healthy-taco-recipes/. They were originally from: Prevention US.

Ingredients

1/3 c white vinegar

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp grated ginger

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 c grated carrot

1/2 c grated daikon radish

1/4 c mayonnaise

2 tsp Sriracha sauce

1 tsp less-sodium soy sauce

4 lg butter lettuce leaves

12 oz med shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined

1 jalapeno, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp cilantro leaves

Directions

Stir together 1/3 cup hot water, vinegar, sugar, ginger, and salt in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Submerge carrot and radish; let sit 10 minutes.

Mix mayonnaise, Sriracha, and soy sauce in small bowl. Spread over 4 lettuce leaves. Add shrimp and jalapeno. Top with pickled carrot-radish mixture and sprinkle with cilantro.

Per serving: 175 calories, 22 g protein, 7 g carb, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugars (1 g added sugars), 6.5 g fat, 0.5 g sat fat, 176 mg cholesterol, 480 mg sodium

SALSA-GUAVA POT ROAST TACOS

This recipe comes from Publix.

Servings: 8; Total Time: about 5 1/2 hours; Active Time: 15 minutes

To view this recipe online, click here.

Ingredients

1 slow cooker liner (optional)

3 lb beef chuck roast

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

Large zip-top bag

1 large red onion, thinly sliced and divided

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped and divided

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (15.5-oz) jar medium (or mild) salsa

1/2 cup guava jelly

16 small flour tortillas

1/2 cup cilantro-avocado dressing

Directions

Use slow cooker liner following package instructions, if desired. Coat beef with soy sauce; place in bag and let stand 30 minutes to marinate. Slice onion (1 1/2 cups). Peel and grate ginger; chop cilantro.

Preheat large, nonstick sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place oil in pan and add beef (discard bag); cook 4 minutes, turning occasionally, or until browned on all sides. Transfer beef to slow cooker; top with 1 cup onions.

Combine salsa, jelly, ginger, and 4 tablespoons cilantro until blended. Pour mixture over beef and onions. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4–4 1/2 hours (or LOW for 6–7 hours) or until tender and beef is 145°F.

Shred beef. Divide beef mixture evenly between tortillas; top with even amounts dressing, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and 1/2 cup onions. Serve.

ICE CREAM TACOS

I can hear it now: Ice cream tacos??? Are you crazy?

Well, maybe. But this recipe is definitely something that makes for a perfect dessert – especially on Taco Tuesday.

This is from Leah Maroney, who, besides writing for The Spruce Eats, has her own blog, Mini Pie Kitchen.

For this recipe, Leah wrote, “Move over Choco Tacos, these homemade ice cream tacos are in town. You only need flour tortillas, ice cream, and chocolate chips to make these babies a reality.

“Get a little crazy and make your own ice cream or your own waffle cone shells. Or keep it simple and use the store-bought kinds. You really can't go wrong.

“Ice cream tacos are a fun party treat or spin on popular on-the-go ice creams. Just make sure to serve and eat them quickly!”

Total: 4 hrs 35 mins; Prep: 4 hrs 35 mins;Cook: 0 mins; Yield: 6 ice cream tacos (serves 6)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

6 flour tortillas (6-inch)

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

10 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

6 scoops vanilla ice cream (or other ice cream of your choice)

Garnish: sprinkles

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Make 6 foil logs that are large enough so that the tortillas can drape over them to form a taco shell shape. Lay them on the parchment paper and drape the tortillas over each log.

Melt the butter in the microwave. Brush the butter over the top of each tortilla. Then sprinkle each tortilla with the sugar.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove them from the oven and allow to cool. Then place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 15 minutes or until very cold.

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl for 30 second increments, stirring in between until it is completely smooth and melted.

Remove the bowl from the microwave and brush the melted chocolate on the inside of each shell until coated. Place the shells back in the freezer and freeze for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chocolate has hardened completely.

While the shells are hardening again, take the ice cream out of the freezer and allow it to soften slightly. Fill each shell with a large scoop of ice cream to the top edge of the shell. Squeeze the shell slightly to disperse the ice cream, being careful not to break the shell.

Place it back onto the baking sheet and freeze again for 1 to 2 hours, until very firm.

Reheat the chocolate in 30 second increments until melted. Pour it into a loaf pan. Dip the top of each taco in the chocolate quickly, covering the ice cream and the top edges of the shell. You need to work quickly so that the ice cream does not mess. Spoon more onto the top of the tacos if needed and then sprinkle generously with sprinkles.

Place them back on the parchment paper and freeze again until the chocolate is completely hardened and then serve!