Taco Tuesday

It's timr for another Taco Tuesday. Today's offerings include Fish Tacos with Avocado Salsa amd Crispy Cheddar Chicken Tacos. Enjoy!

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 to 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.

SPICY TURKEY TACOS

This is from Judy Kim on Delish and begins, “Thought ground turkey was blah? Think again.”

According to Delish, “Judy Kim is a NYC-based food stylist, recipe developer, and photographer. She also writes recipes for her website The Judy Lab.” Check out both Delish and The Judy Lab.

Total Time: 20 minutes; Prep Time: 15 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 hard corn taco shells

1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

4 tsp. Mexican seasoning

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 c. crushed tomatoes

1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

1 c. grated mozzarella

1 c. Pico de Gallo

1 c. sour cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Place taco shells on a sheet pan.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil and add ground turkey; brown while breaking up with a wooden spoon. Season with Mexican seasoning, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Add garlic and onions; sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and cilantro and stir until warmed through. Turn off heat and cover to keep warm.

Just before serving, bake taco shells until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Spoon spicy turkey mixture into taco shells and top with mozzarella, pico de gallo and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

CHICKEN TACO BAKE

This is from Everyday Diabetic Recipes. It begins, "There's enough of a fiesta in this casserole to excite anyone's taste buds. Our Chicken Taco Bake is a Tex-Mex lovers dream and it's healthier for you too, 'cause it's made with lots of spinach, fresh salsa, and reduced-fat cheese."

Cook Time: 35 minutes; Serves: 6; Serving Size: 3/4 cup

To view this online, go to https://www.everydaydiabeticrecipes.com/Casseroles/Chicken-Taco-Bake.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12-ounces) cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1-1/2 cup fresh salsa, divided

4 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips

1/4 cup reduced-fat, shredded Mexican blend cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8- x 8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken, pepper, onion, and garlic and cook 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in spinach, chili powder, and cumin.

Evenly spread 1/2 cup of salsa in bottom of baking dish. Top with half of the tortilla pieces and half of the chicken mixture. Spoon 1/2 cup of salsa over the chicken. Repeat layers with tortilla pieces, chicken mixture, and salsa. Cover with foil.

Bake 30 minutes, uncover, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes more, or until cheese is melted and hot in center.

Notes

Add a pop of color and taste by garnishing with some chopped cilantro and avocado slices!

CRISPY CHEDDAR CHICKEN TACOS

This is from Rick A. Martínez at The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. For this recipe, Rick wrote, "These quick tacos use leftover or store-bought rotisserie chicken, and have a satisfying crispy Cheddar frico called a costra (crust) that is common both in taquerias in the northern half of Mexico and in the southwestern United States. In some taquerias, you can order a taco using only the costra as the shell without a tortilla. In this recipe, the tortilla and costra are layered together to wrap a simple but delicious shredded chicken and chipotle filling."

Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 35 minutes; Yield: 8 tacos

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025276-crispy-cheddar-chicken-tacos. While you're at it, sign up for The New York Times cooking e-newsletter, if you haven't already. Great recipes, guides, and more.

Ingredients

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced (lengthwise, from root to stem end)

1 cup hot water (tap water is fine)

Salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken, warmed

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce

6 ounces medium Cheddar, Monterey Jack or queso Chihuahua, grated

8 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Sliced avocado, salsa and lime wedges, for serving

Preparation

Set an oven rack in the middle position; heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir the onion, hot water and 1 teaspoon salt until the salt has dissolved. Let sit for 5 minutes. This will soften the onion and lessen any bitter or harsh flavors. Rinse the onion under cold water and drain. In the same bowl, toss the onion with the oregano, lime juice, orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt; reserve.

In a separate bowl, quickly toss together the chicken, peppers and adobo sauce, making sure the chicken is completely coated. Season with salt. Cover and keep warm.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat (do not use foil or the cheese might stick). Arrange cheese in 8 equal mounds on the prepared baking sheet. Spread each mound evenly to about 3 inches wide, and space at least 1 inch apart. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and deep golden brown in spots and around the edges, about 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and place 1 tortilla over each cheese crust and return to the oven to heat the tortillas, about 2 minutes.

Use tongs to carefully remove each tortilla with its costra, flipping each one onto a plate so that the cheese is facing up. Top with chicken, onions, avocado, salsa and a squeeze of lime.

FISH TACOS WITH AVOCADO SALSA

Recipe Yield: Yield: 4 servings.Serving size: 2 tacos

Source: The Heart-Smart Diabetes Kitchen: Fresh, Fast and Flavorful Recipes Made with Canola Oil from the American Diabetes Association

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/fish-tacos-with-avocado-salsa.

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp chili powder

4 fish fillets (1 lb), such as tilapia or cod, rinsed, patted dry, and cut into 8 strips total

2 Tbsp canola oil

1/4 tsp salt

8 corn tortillas, warmed

1/2 medium avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced

1/2 cup fresh pico de gallo, salsa verde, or picante sauce

1 medium lime, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

Combine flour, cornmeal, onion powder, and chili powder in a shallow dish, such as a pie pan. Coat fish with mixture.

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and fish flakes with a fork. Place on a serving platter and sprinkle evenly with salt.

Place fish in warmed tortillas, and top with equal amounts of avocado and pico de gallo. Squeeze a lime wedge over each tortilla.

Notes:

Experts recommend eating seafood at least twice a week, so take a break from the standby beef taco and go with fish.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 375; Fat: 14 g; Saturated Fat: 2.2 g; Fiber: 5 g; Sodium: 335 mg; Cholesterol: 75 mg; Protein: 27 g; Carbohydrates: 37 g

VEGAN TACOS

This recipe is by Taqueria Los Gorditos and was in the September 2009 issue of Bon Appetite. Makes 6 servings.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 onion, sliced

2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeño chile

1 12-ounce package soy chorizo (sometimes labeled Soyrizo), casing removed

1 15.4-ounce to 16-ounce can vegetarian refried black beans

12 corn tortillas, warm

Diced onion

Chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sliced onion and jalapeño; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add soy chorizo and cook until beginning to brown in spots, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook beans in heavy small saucepan over low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Stack 2 warm tortillas for each of 6 tacos. Spread scant 2 tablespoons beans over each stack. Top with soy chorizo mixture, dividing equally. Sprinkle with diced onion and cilantro.